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The lost boys arrived home on Wednesday.
Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor had disappeared in the Mets lineup to the point it was conceivable both were ushered into the witness protection program. It turns out they were only hiding in plain sight.
Alonso and Lindor combined on this day for five RBIs in leading a 6-3 victory over the Angels at Citi Field to complete a three-game sweep. It was the fourth straight win for the Mets, matching their longest streak in six weeks.
Lindor, hitless for a career-longest 31 at-bats, stroked an RBI single in the third and repeated the act in the fourth. In between, Alonso’s thunder gave the Mets an early cushion for the first time since the All-Star break.
Alonso, who began the day in a 2-for-33 rut and hitless in 13 at-bats, crushed a three-run homer in the third. The 439-foot rocket to left field was No. 248 for Alonso, leaving him within four homers of Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record. Alonso hadn’t homered (excluding the All-Star game) since July 8 in Baltimore.
Sean Manaea, in his third appearance off the injured list, pitched five innings and allowed one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The left-hander extended to 82 pitches after throwing 69 in his previous appearance.
Manaea started with a flourish, striking out the side to begin the game, but a taxing second inning in which he loaded the bases (including two walks) cost him an opportunity to work deeper than the fifth. But Manaea retired the final seven batters he faced after surrendering a third-inning homer to Mike Trout.
Brandon Nimmo’s homer leading off the first for the Mets provided the game’s first run. The blast was the 14th of Nimmo’s career leading off a game and first this season.
Trout’s two-out solo homer in the third tied it 1-1. Trout’s homer on a 2-2 fastball gave him 999 RBIs for his career.
The Mets took control in the bottom of the inning. After Tyrone Taylor walked leading off and Nimmo was plunked, Lindor delivered with an RBI single that snapped his career-worst 0-for-31 and gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Juan Soto was retired before Alonso unloaded with a blast to the second deck in left field.
Lindor built momentum with an RBI single in the fourth that buried the Angels in a 6-1 hole. Mark Vientos’ leadoff double fueled the rally.
Jose Butto, in his first appearance off the IL, allowed two runs in the seventh before Brooks Raley retired Trout, the tying run, to end the threat. Butto surrendered three hits in the inning, including an RBI double to Chris Taylor.
Raley recorded two outs in the eighth before Edwin Diaz was summoned to face Travis d’Arnaud with a runner at first base. Diaz drilled d’Arnaud with a full-count slider but struck out Luis Rengifo to end the inning. All three called strikes by plate umpire Erich Bacchus appeared off the plate, leading to Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery’s ejection in the bottom of the inning.
Diaz began the ninth by drilling Taylor in the left ear flap with a 96-mph fastball but rebounded to get three outs for his 21st save in 23 chances.
