ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pete Alonso is a slugger who has always fancied himself as something more.
He had a major league-high 131 RBIs in 2022 and 118 RBIs last season, but in addition to home runs, he also had timely hits and the ability to make contact when contact was needed.
That makes it all the more surprising that his .138 batting average with runners in scoring position this season was the ninth-worst among MLB eligible hitters before Sunday’s game ended. .
The ice-cold Polar Bears came to bat in the fifth inning on Sunday, recording six outs in a gut-wrenching 7-6 loss to the Rays in 10 innings at Tropicana Field.
The Mets lost because Edwin Diaz hit a game-tying home run in the 9th inning and Johnny DeLuca hit a walk-off 2-run triple, but they didn’t convert enough chances early in the game. This is also the cause. A game to win separation.
Alonso came to bat with the bases loaded in the third and fourth innings.
The first time he hit a Manuel Rodriguez fastball was the second out of an inning in which the Mets had only scored one run (due to DJ Stewart walking the bases loaded).
In the second, Alonso grounded out Kevin Kelly’s sinker, resulting in an inning-ending double play.
“It’s just frustrating not being able to hit in those conditions,” Alonso said. Although he has the power (eight home runs), he lacks the finer points of his hitting.
Alonso, who is having a personally important season for a soon-to-be free agent, is hitting just .207 with a .715 OPS. He went 0-for-5 in the afternoon, dropping to 2-for-36 in his last 10 games.
“He’s struggling right now,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets won the series for the second time this season. “[He is] meanwhile. It’s one of those where he gets passive on pitches in the zone where he can do damage and then chases, and he’s probably trying to do too much now. ”
Alonso isn’t the only one struggling in the batting lineup. Jeff McNeil, who went 0-for-4 with one walk and three strikeouts, lowered his OPS to .621, will also have to find his stroke.
But Alonso is perhaps the most important hitter in a lineup that has been largely silent for the first month or more of the season.
The 29-year-old preaches process over results and is willing to work harder than anyone else. But he understands those aren’t the messages fans want to hear.
“We need to be better,” Alonso said. “All the work, preparing for the games, no one really sees it. No one cares about that.
“People value performance, so it’s just frustrating not to be able to win.”
