Mets Beat Phillies 6-3 Powered By Alvarez and Acuna

 

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (Photo Credits to Lucas Boland-Imagn Images)

The New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 this afternoon at Citi Field in front of a sell-out crowd of 44,152 fans and improved their record to 86-69.

After a scoreless bottom of the first, catcher Francisco Alvarez hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the second and two batters later, SS Luisangel Acuna hit a solo homer for the third homer in his last four games.

The Met offense was held scoreless for the next four innings, but then came alive in the bottom of the seventh.

DH Starling Marte led off with a walk and two batters later, 1B Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch.

LF Brandon Nimmo then followed with the go-ahead RBI single and stole second.

Two batters later, Alvarez broke the game open with a two-run double.

In the bottom of the eighth, Acuna led off with a walk and two batters later, Marte walked.

Two batters later, 1B Pete Alonso drove in 2B Jose Iglesias with a RBI single.

LHP Sean Manaea got off to a tough start in the top of the first after he gave up a lead-off homer to Kyle Schwarber but then settled down after that.

Manaea retired the next 12 hitters he faced until he allowed a solo homer to RF Nick Castellanos to lead-off the top of the fifth.

Manaea was able to settle down after that once again retiring nine consecutive hitters. 

He gave up a lead-off single to catcher J.T. Realmuto to start the top of the eighth and was then taken out.

His final line was seven innings, three hits, three runs, 0 walks and six strikeouts.

Manaea had excellent command of his fastball and slider.

He picked up his 12th win of the season.

RHP Reed Garrett came in next in the top of the eighth and was not able to get pinch-hitter Cal Stevenson to ground into a 3-6-3 double play which allowed a run to score and was then taken out with two outs in the inning.

RHP Edwin Diaz came on and struck out Schwarber to end the inning.

Diaz then retired SS Trea Turner, 1B Bryce Harper and 3B Alec Bohm in a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to pick up his 19th save.

The Mets next game is tomorrow night, Sunday, September 22 at home against the Phillies on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball at 7:15 p.m.