Francisco Alvarez hits walk-off homerun, Mets beat Orioles 4-3

The Mets hit a walk-off homerun in the ninth inning of Francisco Alvarez to survive and surrender a 3-0 lead to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Monday night at Citi Field.

It was the Mets catcher’s first career walk-off hit and his first home run since July 26, when he hit the Baltimore single. Seranthony Dominguez deep into the left-center 421-footer to end the game.

New York improved to 65-60 and thus kept pace with the NL wild card race.

These are the main points…

– David Peterson was stung by the walk and lost the game’s leadoff hitter Austin Slater after taking a 2-0 lead. But the left-hander got past Baltimore’s dangerous duo of Adley Rutschman using a custom 6-4-3 doubles game and Gunnar Henderson to hit through a 3-2 throw.

Peterson had a lead and needed only nine pitches in the second inning. Despite a leadoff single in the third, he kept the O’s off the board and added two more swinging strikeouts.

A couple of singles with two out Eloy Jimenez with an RBI chance, but a ground ball to third was muffled by a dive Mark Vientos on third base to help Peterson out of trouble.

The fifth inning was a nightmare for Peterson and a one-out double to the left corner Ramon Urias‘ bat and a failed pickoff attempt put the runner on third. And that allowed Baltimore to get on the board on a Jackson Vacation ground ball to first base.

Three groundouts – giving him nine on the night – carried the left-hander through six frames on just 87 pitches. Peterson had allowed just four balls in the air, two of which were flyouts.

Ryan Mountcastle hit his second hit of the night for a leadoff double to start the seventh inning. After a groundout and a strikeout, Peterson was nearly out, but he broke into Mountcastle from third and on the next pitch hung a sinker across the plate to Urias, who clocked it 107.3 mph and 432 feet to left-center for a tying homer.

The left-handed pitcher’s longest start to the season ended in a minor key. His final series: 7.0 innings, six hits, three runs (two earned), one walk and eight strikeouts on 101 pitches (68 strikes).

– In the first inning, Vientos, who was in second place, took a 3-2 pitch and hit it the other way to the Orioles’ starting pitcher Trevor Rogers for a single and that set up JD Martinez to hit the first pitch he saw into the bullpen for an opposite-field two-run homer. Rogers missed his spot when the 92 mph sinker leaked into the inside half of the plate and the DH lined it 393 feet, 100.1 mph off the bat for his first dinger in 50 plate appearances.

– Peter Alonso started the fourth by hitting an 0-2 changeup to the left-center field opening for a double and came around to score on a two-out single by Tyrone Taylor to make it 3-0.

– Starling Marte singled to center with two outs in the first inning and promptly stole second. Marte had a big chance in the fifth with two on and two outs, but went down on a hit against Baltimore reliever Colin Selby.

After giving up three runs in the early going, Baltimore’s pitchers got the better of the Mets’ batters. The Mets managed just one fair ball in the next four innings, striking out nine.

– Jose Knop got the eighth inning and struggled in the strike zone, but got the top two before letting Henderson walk with two outs to get the dangerous Anthony Santanderbut a pop-out on the first pitch ended the inning.

– Edwin Diazin a no-save situation, Mountcastle struck out by hitting, pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn to ground, and Colton Cowser to jump out. It was only the fifth time this month.

Highlights

MVP of the match: Francisco Alvarez

He hit a 3-0 pitch and got the hit that ended the night. And behind the plate, he got more than a half dozen strike calls from the home plate umpire. John Tumpane on fields that were below the zone, much to the chagrin of the Baltimore dugout.

What’s next?

The Mets and Orioles continue the series Tuesday night at Citi Field with first pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Left-handed Jose Quintana (4.26 ERA and 1.295 WHIP in 129 innings) is hoping to bounce back after a few tough outings (nine runs on 11 hits and six walks in his last 10.2 innings.)

Baltimore will give the ball to the right-hander Dean Kremer (4.48 ERA and 1.284 WHIP in 90.1 innings).