PHOENIX — The Mets have waited all year for Francisco Lindor to become a presence atop the lineup. Just maybe this latest surge can be taken seriously.
Wednesday it was Lindor’s third hit of the afternoon that put his team in position to win a game that could have gone in either direction. Lindor singled in the ninth, advanced to second on center fielder Ketel Marte’s error, took third on a passed ball and scored the go-ahead run on Pete Alonso’s single in a 7-6 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
The Mets (27-21) escaped with two victories in three games in the series, but lost another player: Jonathan Villar departed with right hamstring tightness, a potential blow to a team already stacked with injury-list casualties.
Lindor finished with three hits in five at-bats and is 9-for-23 (.391) over his last four games. This latest three-hit game was only his second of the season, as he raised his average to .209 — its highest level since April 27.
Edwin Diaz rebounded from his first blown save of the season, the previous night, by working a perfect ninth.
Seth Lugo’s first appearance of the season consisted of a two-inning stint. After working a perfect fifth, Lugo was dented in the sixth, allowing three hits, including an RBI single to Ildemaro Vargas that tied it 6-6. But Lugo’s athleticism helped prevent further damage in the inning as he lunged to catch Tim Locastro’s ball in the air and fire to second, where Nick Ahmed was removed from the base, for the double play.
The Mets spotted David Peterson four runs before he set foot on the mound, but the left-hander retired only one of the seven batters he faced in the worst outing of his career. Peterson was charged for five earned runs on three hits and three walks, forcing Robert Gsellman into the game to record the final two outs of the first inning.
After Carson Kelly walked leading off, Ketel Marte blasted a two-run homer that sliced the Mets’ lead to 4-2. Peterson then retired Eduardo Escobar, but Christian Walker’s single and consecutive walks to Pavin Smith and Ahmed loaded the bases before Vargas’ two-run single tied the game, bringing the hook from manager Luis Rojas. Madison Bumgarner’s single against Gsellman brought in Vargas, as the fifth run charged to Peterson.
The start was Peterson’s second against the D’backs within a month in which he failed to complete two innings. On May 7 at Citi Field, he lasted only 1 ²/₃ innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks. With this latest performance, Peterson’s ERA surged to 5.89, but the Mets have few alternatives with Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco still off in the distance in their rehabs. The Mets are hopeful Carrasco can return by the end of the month from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since spring training.
James McCann’s three-run homer was the big hit for the Mets in a first inning in which eight batters went to the plate against Bumgarner. The inning might have gotten more out of control if the left-hander didn’t get Brandon Drury to hit into a double play (which brought in the fourth run).
McCann’s fourth RBI of the game, on a single in the second inning, tied it 5-5 after Villar had doubled. Drury’s RBI single in the sixth gave the Mets a 6-5 lead.
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