The Mets dug quite a hole for themselves Friday night, the result of a disastrous first inning by starter Taijuan Walker, who was lit up for four runs, three coming on a home run by last year’s NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario.
Looking to drive in teammate Brandon Nimmo, who reached on a leadoff double, Pete Alonso gave Ian Anderson a scare in the bottom half of the first, bombing his two-out offering to deep right field. Alonso, who entered Friday’s action with homers in three of his last four games, nearly had another but was thwarted by Ronald Acuña, who ended the threat with a spectacular leaping catch.
Acuña recently admitted his surgically-repaired knee still isn’t 100 percent (he spent the Braves’ World Series run as a spectator last fall while tending to a torn ACL), though you’d never know it from his magnificent display Friday night, swooping in to rob Alonso of what would have been his 30th home run of the season. While the 24-year-old has had a down season relative to his usual All-Star standards (.256/.354/.396 batting line entering Friday night), he’s still been plenty productive, ranking among the league leaders in steals with 23 despite missing most of April.