Mets’ bats stay hot, collect 14 hits in ending Royals’ winning streak
METS 6, ROYALS 1
NEW YORK — Pete Alonso homered and Luis Severino earned his first win for the New York Mets, who snapped Kansas City’s seven-game winning streak Friday night with a 6-1 victory over the Royals.
Brett Baty hit a two-run double and the Mets scored all five of their runs off starter Michael Wacha with two outs. New York reached double digits in hits for the fourth consecutive game and has won six of eight following an 0-5 start.
“We are in a place where we are playing every inning the right way,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said.
Coming off a 7-0 homestand that marked the longest winning streak in the majors this season, the surprising Royals (9-5) were looking for their first eight-game winning streak since a nine-game run in July 2017.
Salvador Perez homered for the Royals, making their first visit to Citi Field since June 2016. The year before that, they clinched the club’s second World Series title there.
Severino (1-1) worked around four walks in five innings during his third start for the Mets, who signed him to a $13 million, one-year contract in December after the two-time All-Star spent his first eight seasons across town with the Yankees.
“He just kept us on the end of the bat. We didn’t square a whole lot up,” Kansas City Manager Matt Quatraro said. “We had a couple opportunities with the walks, when he lost the zone a little bit, but we just didn’t capitalize.”
The only hit Severino gave up was a 433-foot leadoff home run by Perez in the second. The righthander struck out four, including young star Bobby Witt Jr. with two runners aboard to end a 27-pitch fifth that began with a 12-pitch walk to Adam Frazier.
“Just get ahead in the count in a big situation. He’s a great hitter,” Severino said. “Get ahead in the count and throw a good pitch to finish.”
Four relievers completed the three-hitter. Jeff McNeil had three of New York’s 14 hits, one day after the Mets pilled up 16 in a 16-4 blowout at Atlanta.
“I think as a team, we’re winning ballgames and our confidence is growing. I feel like we’re all meshing together, and we’re playing well,” Baty said.
Harrison Bader singled against Wacha (1-1) with two outs in the third and stole second before scoring on Brandon Nimmo’s double.
New York hit four consecutive two-out singles in the fourth, with McNeil and DJ Stewart driving in runs. Baty’s double just over center fielder Kyle Isbel’s head made it 5-1 in the fifth.
“It’s always good when you can have offensive games like that,” McNeil said. “Just grinded out at-bats.”
Wacha gave up 10 hits and two walks in six innings. Alonso launched his fourth home run on an 0-2 pitch from Will Smith leading off the eighth.
“They got some big two-out hits. You know, those are backbreaking at times, especially when they’re two-strike, two-out hits,” Quatraro said. “But if you put up one run, it’s going to be tough to win.”