The New York Mets entered Wednesday’s contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers fresh off a crushing extra-inning loss. The Mets needed only one more inning to beat the Dodgers for a second straight day, but Los Angeles tied the game in the ninth on a home run and then won it in the tenth. Could New York bounce back? The Mets did so in excellent fashion, playing one of their best games, winning 6-1.
Griffin Canning has been one of New York’s feel-good stories this season. General Manager David Stearns got him for a bargain basement price; Canning excelled into mid-May, allowing more than three runs only once. The Mets went 8-1 in his first nine starts, as he provided them with continuous quality starts.
Canning hit a rough patch over his last two outings. He faced the Dodgers and didn’t make it out of the third inning, struggling mightily with command as he walked four. He figured to have an easier time against the inept Chicago White Sox in his next start. He bombed again, going three innings and allowing five runs in a disappointing performance.
Canning grew up in California and went to UCLA before playing for the Los Angeles Angels. He had a tremendous homecoming opportunity facing the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine. He needed a turnaround against the class of the National League; could he get it?
Canning got his rebound with an emphatic performance. He threw his best start for New York, going six dominant innings, allowing three hits, zero runs, and striking out seven. His evening highlight was unquestionably freezing Shohei Ohtani on a perfectly executed pitch to end the fifth. Canning lowered his earned run average to 2.90 to go with a 6-2 record.
The Mets have remade many arms behind their pitching lab, coach Jeremy Hefner, and an emphasis on analytics. Last season, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana performed well. This season, Canning has been the beneficiary, collecting nearly as many wins as he did in last season’s 6-13 with a 5.19 earned run average campaign with the Los Angeles Angels.
New York took on another reclamation project, Jose Castillo, a few weeks ago. It acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he had a nearly eight ERA. He has benefited from the change of scenery, pitching effectively over his last few appearances.
Wednesday night, Castillo stepped up after taking the baton from Canning. Castillo held the Dodgers scoreless in the seventh and eighth, giving up two hits and striking out two. He rescued the bullpen, which labored in extra-inning affairs the last two nights. He also gives manager Carlos Mendoza a lefty option after losing A.J. Minter and Danny Young for the season.
Pete Alonso hit a road bump after dominating throughout April. He went 17 straight games without a homer, as the Mets’ offense skidded to a three-run per game average. He finally broke the drought against the Dodgers in the Big Apple, hitting a massive first-inning power jack to lead New York to a 3-1 victory.
Alonso’s bat started perking up in the contests to follow; he took advantage of the nondescript Colorado Rockies and White Sox, hitting homers against both. He went eight straight games with a hit, knocking in five runs.
Alonso enjoys playing at Dodger Stadium. He hit seven HRs in 18 career games there, going into the four-game set. He went hitless on Monday, then contributed a two-hit evening Tuesday with two RBI. What would he do on Wednesday for an encore?
Alonso has excelled in home run derbies, winning in 2019 and 2021. Wednesday night, he performed as if in another one. He stepped up to the plate in the first with two on and one out; he blasted a cannon shot over right center. The Mets had a 3-0 lead, plenty for Canning as he made efficient work of the Dodgers.
Alonso came to bat in the eighth with two men on, the score still 3-0. This time, he smacked a moon blast over left center, increasing New York’s lead to six. He accounted for five of the Mets’ six runs in the victory. He moved within 13 homers of taking over the franchise home run record from New York icon Darryl Strawberry.
The Mets’ offense figured to be one of the best after adding Juan Soto and re-signing Alonso. It has had many ups and downs this season, but recently, it has started to look as envisioned. Brandon Nimmo has moved up to the second slot and reached base in seven of his last eight appearances, scoring four runs. Soto maintained a five-game hitting streak, hitting three homers during that span.
The top of the order reached base often on Wednesday, giving plenty of clutch opportunities to Alonso. Soto walked three times and scored a run while seeing Nimmo touch home twice, all courtesy of Alonso’s power extravaganza.
New York accomplished much in Wednesday’s victory. It clinched the season series against the Dodgers, gaining the tiebreaker over Los Angeles. The Mets will have home-field advantage against the Dodgers if they meet in the playoffs. New York will also get a playoff spot if the two teams are tied for a Wild Card bid.
Los Angeles knocked the Mets out of the playoffs last season and is their measuring stick. New York beating them, especially doing it on the road, is an enormous confidence builder. The Mets play in the NL East gauntlet, and generating momentum for difficult opponents to come will stand them well down the stretch.
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