After losing six straight games since blowing up their roster at the trade deadline, the Mets finally got back in the win column Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. The Amazins’ pulled out an 11-2 victory, riding the coattails of Pete Alonso and Kodai Senga.
Alonso homered twice, providing all of the offense needed for the evening. He blasted a three-run shot in the first inning followed by a two-run bomb in the third, both off of Cubs’ southpaw Drew Smyly. The first baseman’s 32nd and 33rd homers of the season tallied his 18th career multi-homer game, which is the third most in franchise history behind Darryl Strawberry and David Wright.
While Alonso carried the Mets at the plate, Senga’s strong rookie season on the mound continued Monday night. The right-hander tossed six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six.
The 30-year-old worked out of jams in both the second and third innings with some help from Rafael Ortega, who made a sliding catch in left to save a run in the third.
“Every once in a while, we got to remind ourselves that he’s met every challenge that’s new to him and he’s met it with every turn,” manager Buck Showalter said before Monday’s victory. “It’s remarkable how consistent, in a lot of ways, he’s been. … It’s been fun to watch him interact with his teammates, he’s a guy that’s always approachable, very consistent personality.
“Not many people other than his interpreter can put them themselves in his shoes and understand what’s going on. He’s having a remarkable [season] and I’m so proud of him. Not a day goes by where I don’t realize how hard it is to do what he’s doing.”
Senga’s season ERA sits at 3.24, which is by far the best mark of any Mets’ starter this season.
The Mets added two more runs in the sixth after Jonathan Arauz worked a bases-loaded walk and Danny Mendick scored on Brandon Nimmo’s bases-loaded, nobody-out double play to extend the lead to 7-2.
Senga called on the grounds crew to tend to the mound in the bottom of the seventh in rainy conditions. The right-hander slipped off of the mound throwing one of his warm-up pitches, which prompted Showalter to remove him from the game with the tarp following shortly thereafter.
The game resumed after a delay that lasted two hours and nine minutes. Mendick greeted everyone back to the ballgame with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to blow the game wide open, 10-2. Alonso added another in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single off of catcher Tucker Barnhart, who took the ball with the game out of reach.
Brooks Raley came in for relief of Senga and tossed 1.2 scoreless frames before handing the ball off to Drew Smith to finish off the eight. Jimmy Yacabonis got the final three outs in the ninth to secure the 11-2 victory.
The Mets will try to secure the series victory Tuesday night in the second game of the three-game set against the Cubs. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (6.60 ERA) will toe the slab against Jameson Taillon (5.36 ERA) for David Ross’ squad.
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