Mets Notes: Sean Manaea’s struggles continue, Francisco Alvarez’s ice-cold homestand
Here are some notes from the Mets' blowout loss to the Nationals on Wednesday night.
Francisco Alvarez was one of the Mets ’ most productive hitters early-on this season, but the young backstop has cooled off tremendously of late. Alvarez’s struggles continued with another hitless showing in Wednesday's loss. He failed to deliver in some pretty big spots as well -- first striking out looking with two men on and just one out trailing by a pair in the bottom of the first.
After going down looking for a second time two innings later, he came up with two on again in the fifth, and this time put the ball in play but rolled into a rally-killing double play. It was Alvarez’s sixth double play of the season, tying his total from all of last year. He completed the hat-trick of backwards K’s leading off the bottom of the eighth, working the count full before striking out looking with the game well out of reach.
The 24-year-old is now 0-for-his-last-12, and he’s just 3-for-23 in his last seven games. “He’s a little bit in between here,” Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s going out of the zone but then taking good pitches to hit -- he started off good for us, and then the past week or so it’s been a battle for him.
” Alvarez is down to a . 217 average with two doubles, four homers, 21 strikeouts, and . 691 OPS on the season.