The Mets opened their trip to Texas with a 6-3 win over the Rangers on Tuesday night, and the offense did plenty of damage while the pitching staff kept Brandon Nimmo’s team in check just enough to finish the job.
Francisco Alvarez set the tone early and kept coming back for more. He doubled to center field to start the third inning, then scored on Juan Soto’s RBI single to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Alvarez was back in the middle of the action in the fourth, when his hard contact helped create the chaos that led to Carson Benge scoring on an error charged to Nimmo and a 2-1 lead.
The Rangers answered in the bottom of the third and fourth. Josh Jung doubled in Danny Jansen to tie the game in the third, then Texas pushed across two more in the fourth on sacrifice flies from Elias Díaz and Wyatt Langford. That brief Rangers lead didn’t last long.
Alvarez came through again in the sixth, this time with a two-run double to center field that brought in Brett Baty and Semien and swung the game back to the Mets. He kept the inning moving from there, eventually scoring himself on a close play at the plate after Ewing’s infield hit. By the time the dust settled, the Mets had built a 5-3 edge.
Carson Benge added to the cushion in the seventh with an RBI double to right field, driving in Baty and pushing the Mets ahead 6-3.
Sean Manaea handled the middle of the game well enough to keep Texas from running away with it. He worked through early trouble in the second and then gave up the Rangers’ three runs across the third and fourth innings before settling back in. The bullpen took it from there, with Nate Lavender, Dedniel Núñez and Kodai Senga covering the late innings without allowing the Rangers to mount a comeback.
The game also featured a series of unusual moments around the bases, including multiple Rangers hit on the foot by Mets pitchers and a pair of passed balls by Torrens. One of the more curious sequences came in the ninth, when Duran thought he had walked before Laz Diaz delayed the call and ruled him out on a foul tip.
Still, the Mets had enough offense and enough pitching to leave Texas with the win, 6-3.
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Several familiar names fit the profile the Mets are weighing, with Ty France, Alec Bohm and Josh Bell all offering different mixes of track record and upside. France brings a contact-oriented approach, Bohm offers a chance to add steadier all-around production, and Bell remains the kind of left-handed bat that can still change a lineup if the fit is right, which is why this spot is worth watching as the offseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]