Alonso, Carrasco spearhead sweep of twinbill
NEW YORK — Carlos Carrasco dodged trouble for eight innings, Pete Alonso homered against Kyle Wright on an off night for Atlanta’s breakout righthander and the New York Mets beat the Braves 3-0 Tuesday night to complete a doubleheader sweep.
Alonso had two RBI singles in the opener as the Mets pounced early against Charlie Morton, and New York’s bullpen closed out a five-hitter to beat the Braves 5-4. Alonso had two hits in each game.
Carrasco (2-1) stranded seven runners with some masterful work out of the stretch, keeping Atlanta off the board despite six hits and two walks. The 35-yearold threw 96 pitches and struck out five, bouncing back well after allowing eight runs in his previous start against St. Louis.
Carrasco became the first Mets pitcher to finish eight innings this season. He helped New York pitch its sixth shutout in 26 games this year.
Dominic Smith hit a two-run double against Wright (3-1) in the first, building off a four-hit game Sunday that may have preserved his spot when rosters shrunk from 28 to 26 on Monday.
Alonso went the other way for a solo drive in the sixth, his fifth homer.
A first-round pick in 2017, Wright came into Tuesday appearing to have finally corralled his immense talent with a 1.13 ERA through four starts. He took a step back at Citi Field, allowing season highs of three runs and nine hits while striking out a season-low three. Still, he covered seven innings on 97 pitches.
Seth Lugo closed out the shutout for his second save.
The late game took just 2 hours, 18 minutes to complete, New York’s shortest game this season. Atlanta lost Saturday at Texas in 2:16.
Game 1: Four of the Mets’ first five batters reached against Morton, with the Mets taking a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Alonso and Eduardo Escobar. Alonso added another run-scoring single during New York’s two-run second inning.
Morton (1-3) had 56 pitches through two innings but rebounded to cover 5 ⅔ on 99 pitches, allowing five runs — four earned — on six hits. The 38-year-old righthander lowered his ERA this season to 6.85.