NEW YORK — If the next six games are anything like Friday’s night’s series opener, the Mets have a cornucopia of reasons to believe they can create some serious distance in first place.
Francisco Lindor began the first of seven straight games against the Pirates with authority. His third career grand slam in the Mets’ 13-4 win over Pittsburgh was the exclamation point in a 10-run sixth inning. Lindor’s first slam as a Met was also the first for the team this season, arriving in the 84th game of the year. The $341 million shortstop, batting from his left side, crushed a 93-mph fastball 376 feet to left field for the four-run blast.
The ball sailed just over the orange line adorning the top of the wall and stuck to the railing, indicating a grand slam by a few inches. Lindor trotted around the bases with a determined expression, at odds with his usual Mr. Smile demeanor. Only after he hugged his manager Luis Rojas, who was beaming with a wide grin, and high-fived his teammates did he allow any sign of elation.
It was a huge offensive night for a club that, through July 18, can continue tormenting the opposing team to build up their own confidence. The first-place Mets (46-38) will play the last-place Pirates for three more games leading up to the All-Star break, followed by an additional three games next week in Pittsburgh to start the second half of the regular season.
At least on the first day, the Mets took complete advantage of their opportunity to beat up on the lowly Pirates, a rebuilding club with the worst record (32-55) in the National League. It had been exactly a month since the Mets enjoyed a blowout win, when they put up 14 runs against the Orioles in Baltimore. They were tied 2-2 with the Bucs in the sixth inning when Friday’s clobbering began.
The Mets sent 13 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the frame to change the narrative. Pete Alonso crushed a three-run homer to right-center, his first home run at Citi Field since April 25 and fifth home run in his last 11 games. Brandon Nimmo continued his hot July with two RBIs. Jonathan Villar enjoyed a two-homer night from both sides of the plate, his second dinger a 437-foot solo shot to the second deck in left field.
The offensive boom came after Taijuan Walker’s final start before the All-Star break.
If the Mets knew they’d be picking up a starter who’d finish his first half with a 2.50 ERA, they may have given him a better contract. Walker is worth more to the team than the two-year, $20 million deal it offered him in February, considering the way he completed his first 16 starts as a Met. Walker has emerged as a reliable gem in the Mets rotation, pairing with Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman to give the club consistent quality starts.
Though Walker didn’t have his best stuff against the Pirates on Friday — he allowed two earned runs on four hits and walked three batters over five innings — he finished the first half strong. Besides a minimal stay on the injured list in May, Walker has been a workhorse for the Mets three years after his Tommy John surgery. His 2.50 ERA is ranked eighth best in the NL.
