The New York Mets got swept by the Orioles, and Pete Alonso continued his reunion party with Mets fans.
The New York Mets lost their third straight game in what will forever be known in franchise lore as the “Pete Alonso series,” as Alonso homered once again in the Baltimore Orioles 7-1 in a series he completely dominated.
The Mets went down early, quickly and completely in this one, starting with yet another solo homer from Alonso in the first inning off Mets opener Xzavion Curry. That made it 1-0, and Jeremiah Jackson followed up with a two-run shot off Curry in the second to bump the lead to 3-0.
The home-run party continued in the third on another home run from Christian Encarnacion-Strand, this one a two-run shot to make it 5-0. Samuel Basallo kept the party humming with a solo shot, and when the carnage stopped the lead was 6-0 and the Mets were toast.
Orioles starter Chris Bassitt cruised in this one, as the Mets seemed so consumed and overwhelmed by what was going on with Alonso and the fan base that they offered virtually no resistance. Bassitt went 6-2/3 innings and gave up just one run, five hits and a walk to go with six strikeouts.
The Mets usually get a token run in these kinds of games, and they stayed true to form by getting on the board in the fourth. The run came on a walk to Jared Young, who was balked to second, and Marcus Semien singled him home to make it 6-1.
After that the Mets surrendered, and the rest of the game was played. Three Baltimore relievers gave the Mets just a pair of hits when Bassitt left, while Jefrey Yan and Jack Weisenburger finished up with three innings each for the Mets to put it in the books. The Orioles did score one last run on an RBI by Basallo in the ninth, but that was a pinch of salt in an open wound.
The Mets have now lost five of their last six, and they’re buried back in the basement of the NL East, although technically they’re just a game behind the Washington Nationals in the loss column. That might have been slightly meaningful a week ago, but now it isn’t.
Losses and bad series happen, but what was alarming about this loss and series is that the Mets have presenting themselves as a second-half team that can play contending baseball, but they looked like the opposite of that against the Orioles.
