NEW YORK — How the mighty have fallen.
The Mets and the Chicago White Sox were popular favorites to contend at the start of the season, but by the time the two met Tuesday night at Citi Field each had tumbled to fourth place in their respective divisions and boasted similar records.
However, the Mets’ season is still alive after an 11-10 win over the White Sox in the first game of a three-game series, but barely. Chicago (40-56) can’t say the same.
There were positive indicators from the offense, but little else to take from this one. Carlos Carrasco continued his season-long trend of following up good starts with a rough one. The bullpen imploded. Brett Baty threw to the wrong base during a five-run seventh inning for the White Sox.
Francisco Alvarez hit a pair of home runs to log his third multi-homer game of the season and drove in four runs. He has 19 on the season to tie Josh Jung for the most among all MLB rookies. Tommy Pham went 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Jeff McNeil went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Baty and DJ Stewart both homered.
Right-hander Lucas Giolito (6-6) hadn’t allowed more than two earned runs in six of his last seven starts. But the Mets jumped all over him in the first inning, scoring five runs. The first three hitters scored and fans got a glimpse of the future when Alvarez and Baty hit back-to-back homers for the first time.
Alvarez was initially slated to hit eighth in the lineup but was moved up to the sixth spot after Starling Marte was scratched with a migraine. With two on and two out and the Mets up 1-0, he yanked the second pitch he saw from Gioltio over the left-field fence to put the Mets up 4-0.
Baty then drove the ball 425 feet back over the home run apple to pad the lead.
The Mets scored two more in the fourth on a home run by Stewart, his first in the Major Leagues since 2021, and an RBI single by McNeil.
With two on and two out in the fourth and the White Sox trailing 7-0, Chicago pulled Giolito and went to the bullpen with McNeil due up. McNeil, a former Long Beach State standout, faced right-hander Bryan Shaw, another former Long Beach State Dirtbag. He laced one right over the shortstop’s head to score Pham from second.
But then Carrasco failed to make it through the fifth inning and right-handed rookie Grant Hartwig took over. Hartwig (2-1) and right-hander Trevor Gott combined for five runs in a disastrous fifth inning.
It’s tough for the Mets to rely on any relievers other than Brooks Raley, Adam Ottavino and David Robertson. Gott was supposed to give the Mets another high-leverage arm but he’s now given up runs in back-to-back outings. The Mets used their high-leverage trio to close out the game, with Robertson overcoming a wild ninth. The veteran allowed a run on one hit and two walks before converting his 13th save of the season. He stranded runners on the corners to secure the victory. But availability for the rest of the week is murky.
Carrasco went 4 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits, walking two and striking out five. This came after throwing eight scoreless in his last outing.
Inconsistencies in just about every facet of the game continue to plague the Mets, even in wins.
