Lindor and Alvarez power the Mets offense in a crucial win against the Brewers
Francisco Lindor likely won’t be named this year’s National League MVP, but it would be hard to find a more MVP-like performance from a player this season than Lindor had on Sunday.
The shortstop recorded two hits, two stolen bases, an RBI and a home run—all with a hurt back, and all in the most important game of the season for the Mets so far.
And all his contributions were needed in the Mets 5-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday. Lindor had the star performance, but the other Francisco coming off an injury played a huge role, as well.
Francisco Alvarez finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run, accounting for a huge portion of the Mets offense one day after exiting Saturday’s game with a back injury. His fourth-inning RBI single helped extend the team’s early lead, while his sacrifice fly one inning later brought another important run home.
The Mets started aggressively in the first inning, with Lindor stealing second base one pitch after working a leadoff walk. Brandon Nimmo drove him in one batter later with an RBI single, and Nimmo successfully stole second a few pitches later. A flyout from J.D. Martinez ended the inning, but the Mets grabbed an early 1-0 lead scoring their first run in 10 innings.
Martinez led off the fourth inning with a hard drive that bounced off third base and into left field, reaching second by stretching the fortuitous hit into a double. He advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Starling Marte, and scored one batter later on the RBI single from Alvarez.
Consecutive hits from Tyrone Taylor and Lindor put another run on the board with one out, while Lindor’s second stolen base of the game put two runners in scoring position. A strikeout from Jose Iglesias and a Nimmo groundout ended the inning, however, with the Mets exiting with a 3-0 lead.
Mets starter David Peterson finished seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball, walking three batters and striking out eight while holding down a speedy Brewers running game. He was hugely effective all game, but it sure didn’t start that way for the lefty.
Peterson nibbled around the strike zone in the first couple of innings and struggled through a patient Brewers lineup, exiting scoreless innings with runners on base. But he settled down in the third by throwing more strikes, effective in his final five innings of the most high-pressured start of his career.
The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the fifth inning after a Mark Vientos leadoff single, Alonso’s hit-by-pitch and an intentional walk from Marte. Alvarez had a chance to blow the game open—and almost did with a potential bases-clearing hit that landed just foul—but settled for a sacrifice fly that gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.
Not satisfied with the two stolen bases adding to his 30-30 chase, Lindor launched a solo home run in the sixth inning to give him his 32nd on the season and the Mets a 5-0 lead. And in other milestone news, Iglesias’s 2-for-5 day extended his career-high 20-game hitting streak, the longest for any Mets player this season.
A bullpen relay of Phil Maton and Edwin Díaz finished off the game. With a Diamondbacks win, the Mets will head to Atlanta for a doubleheader on Monday needing to win one game to advance to the Wild Card round.
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Box scores
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Big Mets winner: David Peterson, +30% WPA
Big Mets loser: Jose Iglesias, -5% WPA (seems harsh)
Mets pitchers: +31% WPA
Mets hitters: +19% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Lindor RBI single, +9.5% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Iglesias strikeout, -4.5% WPA