ANAHEIM, Calif. — Paul Blackburn’s acquisition from Oakland likely brought a collective “Who?” from a large segment of the Mets’ fan base earlier this week, but Friday it was time for proper introductions.
And Blackburn’s first impression was an excellent one.
The right-hander cruised with an efficiency that Mets starting pitchers have often lacked this season, helping his new team roll to a 5-1 victory over the Angels to start a 10-game road trip that includes four cities.
Blackburn, whose first real exposure to his new teammates came before the game — he remained on the West Coast to meet up with the Mets following Tuesday’s trade — allowed one earned run on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six innings, departing after 82 pitches.
The Angels managed only two hard-hit balls in those six innings, as Blackburn kept opposing batters off balance largely with a mixture of cutters, changeups and sliders.
His fastest pitch of the night was 92.5 mph.
The Mets are counting on the 30-year-old Blackburn to help stabilize a rotation that lost Kodai Senga to a calf strain during his first start off the injured list.
Another starter, Christian Scott, has been sidelined with a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament.
Tylor Megill, considered valuable rotation depth as the season began, has struggled and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Wednesday’s game.
It has left Blackburn in a rotation with Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea and David Peterson as the Mets (58-51) continue to compete for a National League wild-card berth.
Jose Butto followed Blackburn’s strong outing with two shutout innings before Phil Maton worked a scoreless ninth.
Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single in the second brought in the game’s first run.
Jose Iglesias delivered a leadoff double and was waved home on Alvarez’s single to left.
It was a welcomed contribution offensively from Alvarez, who had a .577 OPS in July with only six RBIs.
It followed a strong June for Alvarez, after returning from surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament.
Jo Adell’s grounder off Mark Vientos’ glove in the second went for an RBI single that tied it 1-1.
Mickey Moniak singled and Zach Neto walked ahead of Adell’s run-scoring hit.
Adell was thrown out by Alvarez attempting to steal second, helping to minimize the damage in the inning.
Pete Alonso’s two-run homer in the third gave the Mets a 3-1 lead. Brandon Nimmo singled leading off the inning before Alonso crushed a cutter from Tyler Anderson into the left-field seats.
The blast was Alonso’s 23rd of the season and third in five games.
Luis Guillorme’s fielding error later in the inning allowed Iglesias to reach base, but Anderson retired Tyrone Taylor for the third out.
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The former Met Guillorme rebounded in the fifth — diving with his back to the infield for a lunging grab on Alvarez’s pop-up that left Alonso stranded at third after drawing a leadoff walk in the inning.
In the previous inning Blackburn had walked Taylor Ward and allowed a single to Moniak before getting the next two outs to keep the Mets’ lead at 3-1.
J.D. Martinez chopped a single past first base in the sixth that brought in Harrison Bader with the Mets’ fourth run.
Reliever Mike Baumann should have escaped the inning without any further damage, but Neto booted Vientos’ grounder, allowing the Mets to widen the Angels’ deficit to 5-1.
Bader’s leadoff single and Lindor’s bunt for a hit started the inning.