Pete Alonso might not be done making highlights for the New York Mets despite what has been a challenging season for the team.
The Mets are hoping Alonso doesn’t stop after the slugging first baseman reached another milestone.
“Through thick and thin, we know one thing and that’s that Pete will walk through the door the same guy every day,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “He cares about his teammates and he cares about the Mets.”
The Mets head to Washington to meet the Nationals on Tuesday night. The teams, who are battling to stay out of the National League East cellar, will meet again Wednesday night in the two-game set.
The Mets (63-74) have won three of their past four games, including Sunday’s 6-3 victory against the visiting Seattle Mariners when Alonso homered twice. That gave him 41 this year, reaching the 40-homer mark for the second season in a row and the third time in his career.
“To see guys like him have success makes it even more enjoyable,” Showalter said. “Your best players have to play the game right.”
The Nationals (62-76) have a five-game losing streak. That includes dropping the first four games of a nine-game homestand.
“We’ve got to come back fresh and be ready to go on Tuesday,” Washington manager Davey Martinez said. “You just have to remember what you’re doing and just go out there and keep competing.”
New York took three of four games from the Nationals at home in late July.
The Mets are 4-10 in their past 14 road games.
While the Mets were considered potential contenders in the preseason, the Nationals have clearly been in a rebuilding mode. That philosophy continues in September.
“I want to see some of these young guys here playing a bit and see what we’ve got for the future,” Martinez said. “These guys are still developing.”
Washington catcher Drew Millas appeared in his third big-league game Sunday, but that doesn’t mean that Keibert Ruiz is no longer considered the team’s primary catcher.
“I wanted to give Keibert a couple of days off in a row (from) catching,” Martinez said. “He should be fresh and ready to go Tuesday.”
Left-hander Patrick Corbin (9-12, 4.90 ERA) is expected to start for the Nationals. He allowed six runs on 10 hits in five innings in his most recent outing, a 7-0 setback at Toronto last Wednesday.
Corbin is 8-10 with a 4.48 ERA in 27 career games (26 starts) against the Mets. The two-time All-Star has won both of his starts against New York this season, including a 11-6 victory in Queens on July 29.
The Mets have left-hander Jose Quintana (1-5, 3.26 ERA) lined up as their starting pitcher. Since his first game with the team July 20, the Mets are 1-7 when Quintana starts. Yet his best outing came most recently with last Tuesday’s six shutout innings while allowing three hits against the Texas Rangers.
Despite a career extending to 2012, Quintana has faced the Nationals only four times, holding a 1-1 record with 4.26 ERA.
—Field Level Media
Original source here
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