Mets Power Their Way Past Giants with Home Run Barrage

Mets 10 Giants 6 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 64-77

Mets streak: Won 2

WP - Nolan McLean (11-8)

LP- Matt Wilkinson (0-3)

Seat on the Korner: Nolan McLean

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

Not his best night -- he gave up more than one run for the first time in his last six start -- but the key to McLean's performance tonight is that he showed grit even when he didn't have his best stuff. He could have let the game get out of hand, but he managed to escape the fifth (see below) and ended on a high note in the sixth, striking out Christian Koss on his career-high 105th pitch.

McLean has completed at least 6.0 innings in 13 of his last 14 starts and he has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 15 of his last 17 starts. Dating back to June 30, he is the only pitcher in the majors who has thrown at least 6.0 innings and allowed two or fewer runs in at least 10 games.

That alone is worth conversation with Ralph, but also want to see what ewas going through his mind as a laugher became something much less than that.

Need To Know

• The Mets' five home runs tied their most in a game this year.

• The Mets scored 10 runs for the second consecutive game. It was the first time the Mets hit double digits in consecutive games since last September.

• With two hits -- including his 16th home run -- Francisco Lindor continued his productive hitting since the All-Star break: 27 runs, six doubles, one triple, 11 homers, 26 RBI.

• The Mets have had nine players make their MLB debuts this year. Think that's a lot? Not by a longshot. The injury-plagued Giants are tied for the major league lead with 16 newbies breaking into their lineups. That's 78 percent more than the Mets.

• Among the rookies making their MLB debuts with the Giants this year was tonight's starter, Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson. No, he didn't get his nickname because of a resemblance to old movie heroine Tugboat Annie (although his physique does channel Mickey Lolich). Wilkinson's father's best friend tagged him with the moniker after seeing Wilkinson run around the bases an an incredibly slow speed while Matt was playing in the 2015 Little League World Series.

• From the Whatever Happened To? Department: The Syracuse Mets beat Rochester Red Wings 6-0 Thursday night. The pitchers sharing the shutout: Xzavion Curry, Tobias Myers and Chance McDermott.

• The series continues with a 4:10 game Saturday, pitting the Giants' Anthony Molina (2-0, 3.77) against Zac Thornton (3-4, 2.93).

Turning Point

Most times, the turning point in a game is the hit that puts a team into the lead to stay. Other times, it is a particular defensive play that prevents the lead-changing hit. But tonight, the turning point was a third variation: Bearing down when the other team in threatening to flip the narrative and turn a laugher into a nail biter.

Nolan Mclean created his own mess in the top of the fifth, when he gave up a leadoff double to Rafael Devers, walked Bruce Eldridge and surrendered a single to Turner Hill that, for a combination of reasons, only advanced Devers to third.

Bases loaded, nobody out and with McLean looking shaky, what was a 7-2 lead suddenly seemed tenuous. A homer would make it one-run game; even a single would plate two and make cut the lead to three.

But when the going gets tough, staff aces get going, even on off-nights. McLean struck out Jung Hoo Lee and got Drew Cavanagh to ground into a double play. Inning over, lead still at five runs, and a massive exhale from the crowd at Citi Field.

McLean retired the side in the sixth. Francisco Lindor homered in the bottom of the frame to extend the lead to seven, providing a nice cushion when the bullpen made it interesting later.

Three Keys

Playing for 2027

One of the major decisions David Stearns, Andy Green and the rest of the Mets' brain trust will have to make is how, or whether, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez fit into the 2027 plans. Both are streaky hitters who can hit the sometimes more than occasional long ball but who have been major disappointments because of their lack of consistency. Is Vientos part of a platoon at first base with the emerging Jared Young, especially because of his ability to mash lefties? (His righty-left split: .287 against lefties; .168 versus righties). Should Alvarez be considered the starting catcher because of his potential power, or is the more gifted defensively Luis Torrens the starting catcher?

Both made cases for being part of the 2027 roster with homers -- Vientos in the first to five the Mets a 3-0 lead and Alvarez in the second to extend the Mets' lead. Vientos is making a statement. Since coming off the IL last week, he is 4-10, with two homers and four RBI,

And Alvarez, when things were getting tense, extended the Mets' lead to four runs in the bottom of the eighth with his second dinger:

Senga Seals It

If anybody had told you at the beginning of the season that the crowd would be calling for Kodai Senga to enter the game in a crucial situation, you would have wondered if you were in an alternate reality. But Senga, who failed as a starter, continues to dazzle as a closer, getting two quick ninth-inning outs and the game-ender after a walk to secure the Mets' win after two nervous innings in which the Giants stormed back from a 9-2 deficit with four runs against Jeffry Yan and Austin Warren.

Senga has appeared in 12 games since the trade deadline and is 0-1 with a 1.59 ERA (2 ER/11.1 IP), six walks and 12 strikeouts. He has converted all five save opportunities.

So now, when they start playing "Beat it," the crowd gets excited and does not think it is a message to Senga. No save tonight in the stats, but a save nevertheless.

Helped by Shaky Defense

Not the best night for the Giants in the field. in the second, Francisco Lindor hit a ball that should have been a double play. Shortstop Christian Koss mishandled it. Lindor ended up on first and Nick Morabito went to third. Morabito scored in a Juan Soto force-out, but Bo Bichette crushed one to left center to give the Mets a 7-0 lead.

Twice  on steals -- one by Soto and the other by Carson Benge -- Giants catcher Drew Cavanagh treated the baseball as if it had been greased. instead of throwing to second to try to nail Soto and Benge, the ball ended up behind him. Embarrassing, yes. Luckily neither miscue led to a run. And in the seventh, Mark Vientos reached on a ball that Oslevis Basabe couldn't handle.