That month within the minors positive appears to be paying dividends for Francisco Alvarez.
In his second recreation since being recalled, the third-year catcher keyed the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday evening with an important two-run residence run.
The Mets had been trailing, 2-0, with two outs within the fifth when Alvarez launched his game-tying blast in opposition to Angels starter Kyle Hendricks into the left-field stands at Citi Area.
An elated Alvarez raised his first as he rounded first base, breaking into his first home-run trot since returning to the majors.
“The best feeling, for me, is that we’re winning,” Alvarez, who completed 1-for-4, stated by a group interpreter.
Alvarez’s fourth homer of the season jump-started a Mets rally, as Ronny Mauricio adopted with a single and a stolen base, then scored on Brandon Nimmo’s go-ahead RBI single.
Nimmo’s hit was the fourth in a row for the Mets, who had been held by Hendricks to 1 bloop single by the primary 4.2 innings.
“Baseball is a huge momentum game,” Nimmo stated. “For [Alvarez] to be able to tie the game up right there, it was a huge, huge at-bat. It gave us all a jolt of energy.”
Alvarez, 23, was hitting .236 with three homers and a .652 OPS when the Mets optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse on June 22.
Regardless of his struggles, the transfer got here as a shock, contemplating Alvarez had been a starter since he debuted in 2023 as considered one of baseball’s premier prospects.
The Mets at all times hoped Alvarez would return rapidly, however they needed him to work by his points with on a regular basis reps within the minors.
“When we made the decision to send him back down, it was necessary at the time because we knew how important he is for this team,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza stated. “We needed him to get back on track, and it’s hard to do it at the big-league level when you’re looking for results pretty much day in and day out.”
Alvarez responded with 11 homers in 19 video games at Triple-A, prompting the Mets to name him up earlier than Monday’s sequence opener in opposition to the Angels.
Alvarez is now 2-for-6 with the homer, a double, two walks and three runs since rejoining the Mets. After Tuesday’s win, Mendoza praised Alvarez’s locked-in method and good swing choices.
“You’ve got to give this kid a lot of credit, because the moment he got back down there, he just kept working,” Mendoza stated. “He could pout and feel sorry for himself, and that wasn’t the case. And then here he is now, looking like the Alvy we know he’s capable of.”
Tuesday’s efficiency got here in assist of Mets starter Frankie Montas, who labored round eight hits and two walks to restrict the Angels to 2 runs in 5.2 innings.
Montas was dinged by Jorge Soler’s solo homer within the second inning and Nolan Schanuel’s RBI double within the fifth. However Montas prevented additional harm in that fifth inning by placing Mike Trout out with two runners in scoring place, then getting Jo Adell to fly out to heart with the bases loaded.
Montas, whose season debut was delayed by three months on account of a spring-training lat pressure, picked up the win to enhance to 3-1 with a 4.62 ERA in 5 begins.
“I feel pretty good. I would love to finish the sixth inning, but step by step,” stated Montas, whose 5.2 innings matched his season-high. “I definitely feel better every time I step on the mound. I feel like my pitches are moving better. … I’m throwing more strikes, and I’m definitely making progress every start.”
Tuesday marked Montas’ first time pitching to Alvarez.
“He was a big part of keeping me in the game,” stated Montas, who struck out six. “Just mentally, being aware of what kinds of pitches were working and letting me know.”
Mets relievers Rico Garcia, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek recorded the ultimate 10 outs to protect the one-run lead. Filling in for nearer Edwin Diaz, who pitched the earlier two days, Stanek bought Trout to come out with runners on first and second to finish the ninth.
It was a much less profitable evening for Francisco Lindor, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and prolonged his hitless streak to 0-for-30.
That set a brand new career-worst for Lindor, who beforehand went by an 0-for-27 drought in 2016 when he was a second-year participant for Cleveland.
“It’s part of it, but the one thing about [Lindor], he’s too smart,” Mendoza stated earlier than Tuesday’s recreation. “He’s always watching film. He’s always talking to the hitting coaches. Yesterday, he was out there hitting early. He did it again today.”
The Mets (58-44) go for a sequence sweep on Wednesday afternoon, with left-hander Sean Manaea (0-1, 2.45 ERA) set to pitch for the third time since getting back from a spring-training indirect pressure. The Angels (49-52) haven’t introduced a starter.
Initially Revealed: July 22, 2025 at 9:52 PM EDT
