The Late Show, Part III: A 6-1 Re-Pete

Mets 6 Dodgers 1 (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA)

Mets Record: 39-23

Mets Streak: W1

Mets Last 10: 8-2

WP: Griffin Canning (6-2)

LP: Tony Gonsolin (3-2)

Seat On The Korner: Pete Alonso

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Two more big blasts by Pete Alonso -- one early, the other late -- accounted for five of the Mets' six runs, both giving the Mets a first-inning crooked number lead and putting the game out of reach at the end. Over the first 62 games, Alonso has batted in 53 runs, second only in Mets annals to the 57 RBI he had over a similar span in 2022. Alonso has made the most of having Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto hitting ahead of him, coming to bat almost 55 percent of the time with someone on base. We know it's probably getting tiring seeing Alonso on the show so many times, but, hey, he deserves all the swag (watches, clothes, cases of Rheingold) that comes with it.

Need To Know:

• With the Phillies loss, the Mets' increased their first-place lead to a game and a half.

• The win, the Mets' fourth in six games against the Dodgers, clinched the season series, which could get them home field advantage if they end up tied with Los Angeles and face them in the playoffs.

• The win returned the Mets to their season-high 16 games over .500.

• The Mets are now 32-2 when leading after seven innings.

• Luisangel Acuna may have lost playing time because of Brett Baty's success, Jeff McNeil's resurgence and Ronny Mauricio's recall, but he's not merely biding his time on the bench. Acuna was seen on the dugout steps with a catcher's mask and glove, shadowing Luis Torrens, pitch for pitch. Could he make it into a game at yet another position? . Or was it just some dugout fun, with the other non-starters joining in?

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• Injury update: Mark Vientos has a mild hamstring sprain, and will probably be shut down for only 10-14 days before starting to ramp up for his return. Sean Manaea wil make his first rehab start on Friday in Brooklyn. He could he back by the end of the month.

• The series ends with a Thursday matinee. David Peterson takes the mound for the Mets against the Dodgers' Landon Knack. After that , the Mets travel to Denver for a weekend series against the suddenly resurgent Rockies, who swept the Marlins. Of course, the games were played in Miami, so nobody noticed.

Turning Point

Jose Castillo took over from Griffin Canning to start the seventh with a three-run lead, and after retiring Max Muncy on a groundout, gave up a double to Andy Pages and hit Michael Conforto to bring the tying run to the plate. After a mound visit by pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Castillo found his groove and struck out Dalton Rushing. With Shohei Ohtani looming in the on-deck circle, Castillo then struck out Kiki Hernandez on three pitches to end the inning and send the Mets to the top of the eighth still clinging to their 3-0 lead. Call that the turning point, before Pete Alonso broke the game open with his second home run of the game.

Three Keys:

Great Griffin

After two shaky starts, Griffin Canning was masterful, hurling six shutout innings, striking out seven, yielding only three hits and, most important, walking only one. Canning had the Dodgers off balance with his changeup all night, and gave the Mets some length when they needed it, with the bullpen still taxed by consecutive extra-inning games. The Mets' starting pitcher roster is becoming more crowded, but performances like this should help preserve Canning's place in the rotation.

Capitalizing on a Mistake

For the longest time, it looked as if a first-inning error to the second batter of the game could be called a turning point. After Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch leading off the game, Brandon Nimmo hit what looked like a perfect double play ball to Kiki Hernandez, filling in for the injured Tommy Edman. Hernandez let the ball go through himself; Nimmo made it to first and Lindor all the way to third. Juan Soto then hit a productive ground ball out, scoring Lindor, moving Nimmo to second and setting the stage for Pete Alonso's two-run homer to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. A hallmark of good teams is that they capitalize on mistakes.

Mauricio Looks Lost

After tearing up AAA pitching, Ronny Mauricio, recalled when Mark Vientos went on the IL, started his second straight game at third base, and continued to look lost at the plate. Mauricio went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is still looking for his first major league hit this year. He was removed for defensive purposes in the eighth. He probably get an opportunity to get things going against the Rockies' AAAA pitching this weekend, but you have to wonder how much longer he would remain in the lineup -- and the majors -- if he keeps struggling.