Pete Alonso powers Mets to win over LA, Mets clinch season series
Plus, why this version of Pete Alonso could give the Mets an edge in a potential NLCS rematch...
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets secured the season series over the Dodgers following a 6-1 win in LA on Wednesday night (box)
RHP Griffin Canning authored a bounce-back outing on the mound, twirling six scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts
LHP José Castillo provided two shutdown innings out of the bullpen, not allowing a run on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts
1B Pete Alonso was the offensive spark for the Mets, finishing with two home runs and driving in five of his team’s six runs
RF Juan Soto drove a runner home in the first on a groundout, and finished the night with one run scored, one RBI and three walks
Fans can now vote for which of their favorite Mets they wish to see at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta (Mets.com)
The Mets have now won the season series against the Dodgers. That means if the two teams finish with the same record, the Mets would get a higher seed for the playoffs, home field advantage against them in a playoff series, or perhaps win the last wild card over LA if the final playoff spot comes down to the two teams
Injury Updates 🏥
LHP Sean Manaea (right oblique strain) is scheduled to throw his first rehab start at High-A Brooklyn on Friday following a live bullpen session that went well earlier this week. He will throw around 35 pitches in his first rehab start
3B Mark Vientos (right hamstring discomfort) has been diagnosed with a low-grade hamstring strain and will now rest for a minimum of 10 days before resuming baseball activities
RHP Frankie Montas (right lat strain) will recover from his last rehab start before the Mets decide on the next steps for the right-hander. The team wants to continue to build Montas up, but are unsure on how many more rehab starts he will need
Play of the Game ⭐️
The Mets entered the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game armed with a 3-0 lead. But, given the firepower LA possesses, not to mention what happened on Tuesday, you can’t ever count the Dodgers out.
And that’s why what happened in the eighth inning takes top billing in today’s POTG.
Coming to the top of the plate in the top of the eighth with two runners on and no outs, Pete Alonso proceeded to absolutely demolish a pitch for a mammoth 447-foot three-run blast - his longest home run of the season.
It was a gigantic shot that blew the game wide open and effectively sealed the win for the Mets. It was also the second homer of the game for Alonso, who is simply unstoppable when he’s this locked in.
Even Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman couldn’t help but be impressed by Alonso’s display of impressive power and sheer force.
Pete Alonso! 🐻❄️
The slugging first baseman enjoyed a monster night at the plate on Wednesday and, in doing so, moved closer to history. Pete Alonso also continues to put up big numbers in 2025…
Alonso is now tied with Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki for the NL lead with 53 RBIs on the season
Alonso is also tied with Darryl Strawberry for the most multi-homer games in franchise history (22)
More significantly, however, Alonso is now just two homers behind David Wright for the second-most in franchise history (242), and just 12 away from matching Strawberry’s all-time record (252)
Furthermore, Alonso now has 11 career MLB games with 5+ RBIs, breaking a tie with Wright for the most in franchise history
Alonso’s 53 RBIs this year is also the second-best mark through 62 games in team history, behind only the 57 RBIs he had through 62 games in 2022
Who’s Hot? 🔥
1B Pete Alonso is hitting .292/.346/.750/.1.096 with seven hits, three runs scored, two doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs over his last six games
RF Juan Soto saw his five-game hitting and extra-base streak come to an end on Wednesday, but he still reached base three times and is hitting .316/.500/.895/.1.395 over his last six games
CF Jeff McNeil hit a one-out single in the second inning last night, and is now riding a six-game hitting streak
LF Brandon Nimmo went 1-for-3 with two runs scored on Wednesday, and has now reached base in eight of his last nine appearances, scoring six runs over that span
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Drew Gilbert (No. 10 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 3B
RHP Jonah Tong (No. 4 prospect, Double-A): 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
LHP Jonathan Santucci (No. 12 prospect, High-A): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
BOX SCORES
Low-A STL (PPD) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (39-23) at Dodgers (37-25)
Where: Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
Starters: LHP David Peterson (4-2, 2.69 ERA) vs. RHP Landon Knack (3-2, 4.58 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY, MLBN (out-of-market-only)
This version of Pete Alonso could be the X-Factor in potential future playoff battle with LA… ✍️
The Mets have drawn first blood against the mighty Dodgers this year by taking the season series.
That was secured on Wednesday night thanks to a 6-1 win, a win in which Griffin Canning was outstanding on the mound.
But, arguably deserving of more credit for the victory is Pete Alonso, who absolutely went off with a monster night at the plate.
The slugging first baseman finished with two home runs and drove in five of the Mets’ six runs on the night. He set the tone with a two-run shot in the first inning, before blowing the game wide open and icing the win with a mammoth three-run blast in the eighth.
Alonso’s second homer of the game was a 447-foot blast to deep right field - a titanic shot that served as an ample reminder of just how much raw power and brute force the four-time All-Star possesses.
And Alonso’s big night confirmed that he is back in business after seeing his average drop to .288 by the end of May. He has seemingly put a quiet month behind him by coming out swinging in June, where he’s 5-for-16 with three homers and 10 RBIs to start this month.
He is also now tied for the most RBIs in the National League (53) with Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, while history is now edging ever closer in terms of the Mets’ all-time home run record.
However, what we also saw on Wednesday was just how big an X-Factor this version of Alonso could be for New York in a potential postseason rematch with the Dodgers. Should the two teams meet again in the NLCS, then Alonso could be the key to ensuring the Mets get revenge for 2024 and move on to the World Series.
Of course, by virtue of having Juan Soto on the team, the Mets should be better offensively in any potential rematch, especially given the fact that Soto should be hitting at his usual clip by that point.
But, with that said, having Alonso at his slugging, game-breaking best could be the key to edging LA’s own high-powered offense. After all, while he had his moments in the postseason last year, Alonso hit just one home run and finished with four RBIs against the Dodgers in the 2024 NLCS.
If Alonso can keep on his current pace and translate a huge year into a productive postseason, that will certainly give this lineup an added threat behind Soto and Francisco Lindor.
As we saw on Wednesday, and as we’ve seen for much of this year, Alonso is a different player when he’s this locked in. His ability to drive runners home, make things happen, and come up with soul-crushing, back-breaking mammoth home runs could give the Mets the extra inch they need this postseason, especially if they end up facing the Dodgers again.
LA has a big three in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, hitters who can change the tenor of a game - and a playoff series - in an instant. The Mets now have their own big three in Soto, Lindor, and Alonso. And a locked-in, mashing Alonso, who can take full advantage of runners on base and who can break a game wide open, certainly raises the ceiling of that group, and of New York’s chances, in a potential NLCS rematch exponentially.
There is a long way to go and a lot of baseball to be played before we even get to that point, of course. But this current version of Alonso could be just what the Mets need to take down the powerhouse Dodgers and move a step closer to achieving their dream of winning the World Series.
Around the League 🚩
Twins RHP Pablo López will miss multiple months with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his throwing shoulder
The Giants rallied for a five-run comeback to beat the Padres, 6-5, on Wednesday - marking the first time they’ve scored more than four runs in a game since May 16
The Rockies beat the Marlins 3-2 on Wednesday, ensuring that Colorado swept a series for the very first time in 2025
Guardians RHP Luis L. Ortiz tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to help lead his team to a 4-0 win over the Yankees
I was reading elsewhere that Montas has resembled a Christmas tree in his rehab starts, getting lit up. I’m not worried, because I think a couple of sessions with Hefner will find he’s either tipping his pitches, or he needs a tweak to his mechanics.
(Also, you have the Giants beating the Giants in the “around” section)
Yes......Alonzo has finally earned All Star votes from me....Soto has enabled him to relax...and to manage strike zone better.