Afrigather Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco arrived collectively from Cleveland in the identical blockbuster commerce in 2021, trying to duplicate the success they loved all through their careers in Cleveland.
That duo continued their respective glorious second seasons in Flushing and fronted the Mets to their fifth consecutive win Tuesday night time, with Lindor blasting his twentieth house run of the yr to assist Carrasco’s 6 ²/₃ innings of two-run ball in a rain-delayed 6-2 victory over the Reds at Citi Subject.
Carrasco prolonged a run of stellar outings by the Mets’ refortified rotation since co-aces Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom rejoined Buck Showalter’s projected quintet of starters. The 35-year-old righty allowed two earned runs on seven hits with one stroll and 9 strikeouts to submit his team-best thirteenth victory of the yr (13-4). He additionally improved to 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA over seven begins since his final loss on June 28 towards the Astros.
Total, Mets starters have recorded a miniscule employees ERA of two.23 over 31 video games since Scherzer returned from an indirect harm on July 5 — together with two latest begins by deGrom — with Taijuan Walker going for the collection sweep Wednesday afternoon.
With leadoff batter Brandon Nimmo receiving a uncommon recreation off, Jeff McNeil added a solo shot for the first-place Mets, who’ve received 15 of their final 18 video games to enhance to 72-39. Deadline pickup Mychal Givens, Trevor Could and Seth Lugo recorded the ultimate seven outs in reduction of Carrasco.
Lindor’s two-run shot to left off Reds lefty Mike Minor within the third inning offered the sport’s first runs. Within the course of, the $341 million change hitter grew to become the primary shortstop in franchise historical past to report a number of 20-homer campaigns.
With 77 of his 79 RBIs this season coming whereas within the recreation as a shortstop, Lindor additionally moved inside 4 of Jose Reyes’ membership report on the place of 81 in 2006. Lindor additionally has scored not less than one run in 12 consecutive video games, tied with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts for the longest such streak within the majors this season.
McNeil ripped his seventh homer of the yr, a solo shot to heart within the fourth, earlier than including a run-scoring single to chase Minor within the sixth for a 4-0 lead.
Carrasco, in the meantime, adopted Chris Bassitt’s eight innings of one-run ball (none earned) the earlier night time by carrying the shutout bid by way of the sixth.
The Reds (44-65) reached Carrasco for singles in every of the primary three innings and a stroll within the fourth, with out scoring a run. He struck out the facet within the fifth and retired three batters on simply six pitches within the sixth earlier than the Reds acquired on the board on Jake Fraley’s two-run blast to right-center with one out within the seventh.
Two-out singles later within the inning by Austin Romine and Jonathan India prompted Showalter to summon Givens, who whiffed Nick Senzel to flee the inning.
After being restricted to 53 ²/₃ innings over 12 begins in his first season with the Mets resulting from a hamstring harm suffered in spring coaching, Carrasco (88 pitches) now has thrown 124 ¹/₃ innings this yr, his most since 2018 and second on the staff to Bassitt’s 130.
The Mets recouped these two runs within the backside half on a bases-loaded single by Darin Ruf, who went 2-for-4 to lift his common to .333 (5-for-15) since he was acquired from the Giants on the commerce deadline. Ruf and fellow acquisitions Daniel Vogelbach and Tyler Naquin have mixed to hit .338 with 4 homers and 18 RBIs in 80 at-bats with the Mets.
