Marte shows All-Star’ form in Amazin’ victory
If Buck Showalter had any concern the Mets would come out lethargic following a draining five-game set against the Braves, Starling Marte calmed his skipper with one swing of the bat.
After Justin Dunn hit Brandon Nimmo with a pitch to begin the bottom of the first, Marte hammered a fastball 408 feet to leftcenter for a two-run home run. Marte’s blast provided both the keynote and the only run support that Chris Bassitt would need in a 5-1 series-opening win over the Reds at Citi Field on Monday night.
“I don’t look for home runs, I just try to hit the ball hard,” Marte said. “I try to advance the runner if he’s on first base so the next guy up can drive him in. The way that sometimes turns out, I’ve been the one to hit the home run, but I’m not necessarily looking for home runs.”
August had begun inauspiciously for Marte, who hit .377 in July. Entering Monday’s game, he was hitting just .194 in eight games this month.
Marte rediscovered his AllStar form Monday night, adding a line-drive single and a stolen base, along with the home run. It marked his first multi-hit performance since July 29, when he notched three hits against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
With a .294/.345/.462 slash line, Marte continues to provide the Mets with the sort of production they envisioned receiving upon signing him to a four-year, $78 million contract in November.
“They’re very consistent in who they are and who they try to be,” Showalter said of the trio of Marte, Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor. “... Once I found out that Starling’s the guy you just kinda left in a spot in the lineup and a spot on the field and when he had that piece of mind, it kinda took off for him.”
Marte, mirroring Showalter’s mentality, stressed the importance of bringing the same energy each game.
“It doesn’t matter which team it is that’s coming out to play, we know that we have a responsibility, we have to go out there and score runs,” Marte said. “Thankfully, that’s what’s been going on. It doesn’t matter if a team’s in last place or first place, we have to go out there, play hard and win those games.”
And his first-inning long ball set the tone for the Mets to do just that.
Mark Canha spent the past two years playing every day for Oakland and began this season with the same kind of work schedule for the Mets.
Now a semi-regular, following the emergence of left-handed bats in the lineup, including Tyler Naquin’s trade-deadline arrival, the veteran outfielder is trying to produce when his turn arrives.
He was absent Monday’s starting lineup, a day after delivering a two-run double against the Braves.
METS NOTES
“I am kind of used to it and it doesn’t bother me,” Canha said before being used as a pinch-runner in the Mets’ 5-1 win over the Reds at Citi Field. “Honestly, I want to be in the big leagues and play winning baseball.
“Not to mention the way the schedule is constructed this year, it’s pretty condensed and I don’t know if I would make it if I had to play 162 games. I don’t think my body would hold up. I think a lot of the best teams are doing this, giving guys rest and using everybody on the roster.”
Canha, who arrived on a twoyear contract worth $26.5 million, has earned high marks for his demeanor throughout.
“If you look up ‘professional’ and ‘winning player,’ Mark fits both of those,” Buck Showalter said. “This guy, he’s been just solid since the day he got to Port St. Lucie and I could see why he was so coveted by our organization. He is a very articulate, smart guy who really understands the end game and he wants to win.”
➤ The Mets promoted Brett Baty — their first-round pick in the 2019 draft — to Triple-A Syracuse. The third baseman owned a .312/.406/.544 slash line with 19 homers and 59 RBIs in 89 games for Double-A Binghamton. He joins the organization’s top prospect, catcher Francisco Alvarez, at Syracuse.
➤ Sunday’s SNY broadcast was the second most-watched in the history of the network. The broadcast drew 555,000 viewers, according to the network. Only the Mets’ final regular-season game in 2008, which drew 806,047 viewers, was more watched.