Mets hold on to beat Diamondbacks after Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso provide jolt
PHOENIX — The Mets had already received one mammoth clout Monday night but chances were it would take something additional to beat the Diamondbacks.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.
Francisco Lindor brought the extra.The Mets shortstop found a slider to his liking in the seventh inning and destroyed it.
The Mets could breathe, at least for the moment.Lindor’s three-run homer was the needed jolt in a 5-4 victory at Chase Field that ended the Mets’ two-game skid.It got dicey late, but Reed Garrett escaped a jam in the eighth with the lead, allowing the Mets to upend a D’backs team that won two of three games at Citi Field last week.The Mets led 2-1 on Pete Alonso’s homer as they began the seventh.Francisco Alvarez singled and Tyrone Taylor doubled Alvarez to third before Lindor unloaded against Ryan Thompson.
The homer was Lindor’s seventh of the season.Dedniel Núñez, in his season debut, walked all three batters he faced to begin the eighth.Garrett was thrust into the bases-loaded jam and surrendered a single to Josh Naylor for one run.
Eugenio Suárez followed with a towering fly ball that hit the center field fence, with two runs scoring.But Naylor hesitated and only reached second base, turning Suárez’s shot into a long two-run single.
Garrett, clinging to a 5-4 lead, struck out Gabriel Moreno and retired Lourdes Gurriel Jr.on a pop-up.Edwin Díaz worked a scoreless ninth for his eighth save in as many chances.
Alonso’s throwing error — he flipped high to Díaz covering first base on Alek Thomas’ grounder — gave the D’backs life.But Thomas was thrown out by Alvarez attempting to steal second and Díaz got the final two outs.Griffin Canning had a fourth straight outing in which he allowed one earned run or less, but continued his trend of pitching only five innings.
On this night he was allowed to begin the sixth, but was removed...