Baty Collects Two Hits, Alonso Goes Deep as Mets Soar to Win over Astros
The Mets took the 50-minute trip back down south to the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach on Wednesday night to take on the Houston Astros in their penultimate road trip of the spring. Wednesday night’s matchup also marks the final time the Astros and Mets will see each other before the games count for real next Thursday.
The Mets sent David Peterson back to the hill to start Wednesday’s game against Houston for his fourth appearance of spring (his third start this spring). It was all Mets in the game, led by Brandon Nimmo (2-for-4 with an RBI), Brett Baty (2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored), Pete Alonso (1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored), Luis Torrens (1-for-3 with two runs scored), and Mark Vientos (1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored) as the Mets went on to defeat the Astros 8-2 in their final meeting of the spring.
Torrens kickstarted the offense in the third with a lead-off walk, followed by a Baty double. Torrens later scored and Baty advanced to third on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly by Juan Soto drove in Baty to give the Mets a 2-0 lead over Houston.
Torrens once again was the player who started the offense in the fourth with a one-out single. He was driven in on an RBI triple by Baty (his first triple of the spring) to make it a 3-0 lead.
Nimmo tacked on an RBI in the fourth on a fly ball to left field that scored Mark Vientos, who had reached and advanced to second on a throwing error earlier in that inning.
Pete Alonso padded the lead in the sixth with a monster three-run home run that drove in Torrens after he doubled in the inning and Soto (walked in the inning) to open the Mets’ lead to 7-0. Vientos joined the party in the eighth with an RBI single that made it an 8-0 Mets’ lead.
Tyrone Taylor was also 2-for-4 on the day with a run scored. Alexander Canario and Starling Marte both contributed to the Mets’ hit count as the Mets struck for a total of 10 hits on the day, seven of which were for extra bases as the Mets’ offense unloaded against the Astros.
Baty took his offensive momentum and used it in the field as well, making a great diving play and a perfect throw in the bottom of the fourth.
On the mound, Peterson looked strong again, throwing five scoreless innings, which was his most this spring. He gave up two hits, walked three, and struck out four. He lowered his ERA this spring to 0.57.
After Peterson, Edwin Díaz and Ryne Stanek each threw a scoreless inning. Diaz allowed two hits and struck out one; Stanek did not allow a hit and struck out two in another strong performance.
After two successful outings for A.J. Minter, he struggled a bit Wednesday, giving up two earned runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out two, but Carlos Mendoza went to the bullpen after Minter made it through just 2/3 of an inning. Joshua Cornielly came in and got the final out.
Reed Garrett came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning, striking out all three batters he faced to close it out for the Mets as they went on to defeat Houston 8-2 at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Player of the Game
Wednesday’s Player of the Game is Brett Baty with two hits, including an RBI triple; run scored, and a great diving play defensively in the fourth.
On Deck
The Mets play one more in West Palm Beach on Thursday against the Nationals in a 6:05 pm matchup. Kodai Senga (0-0, 3.38 ERA) will get the ball for his third start of the spring against Shinnosuke Ogasawara (1-2, 7.56 ERA) for the Nationals in his fifth start of the spring.
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