Orioles crush Mets 7-1, complete sweep behind four-homer barrage

The Baltimore Orioles finished off an impressive trip through Queens with authority Wednesday night, defeating the New York Mets 7-1 at Citi Field to complete a three-game sweep. Baltimore jumped on New York starter Xzavion Curry for four home runs over the first three innings, while veteran right-hander Chris Bassitt shut down his former club for 6 2/3 strong innings. The victory improved Baltimore to 75-78 and kept the Orioles within 2 1/2 games of the final American League wild-card position.

The Orioles finished with nine hits and committed one error, while New York collected seven hits but managed only one run. Baltimore scored once in the first, twice in the second and three times in the third to build a commanding 6-0 advantage before the Mets could get on the board. The Orioles then added an insurance run in the ninth to put the finishing touches on one of their most complete victories of September.

Pete Alonso strikes again in Queens

Pete Alonso continued his memorable return to Citi Field by homering for the second consecutive night against his former team. Alonso jumped on Curry in the first inning and launched a solo home run to center field, immediately giving Baltimore a 1-0 lead. The home run came one night after Alonso hit the 300th homer of his career in dramatic fashion in the ninth inning against New York.

Alonso’s return to Queens became one of the major stories of the series. After spending the first portion of his career with the Mets, Alonso returned wearing an Orioles uniform and delivered two enormous home runs over the final two games. Rather than letting the emotion surrounding his return become a distraction, Alonso provided Baltimore with exactly the type of middle-of-the-order production it needed during a critical September series.

Orioles launch four early home runs

Baltimore’s power display was only getting started.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand opened the second inning with a double before Jeremiah Jackson crushed a two-run home run to center field. Jackson’s ninth homer of the season extended Baltimore’s advantage to 3-0 and placed Curry under immediate pressure. Jackson, another player with ties to the Mets organization, made his former organization pay as Baltimore continued attacking pitches in the strike zone.

The Orioles delivered the knockout punch one inning later. Coby Mayo drew a walk before Encarnacion-Strand blasted a two-run home run to left field, making it 5-0. Samuel Basallo stepped to the plate next and hammered the very next pitch over the center-field fence for his 18th home run of the season.

Just three innings into the game, Baltimore had four home runs and a 6-0 advantage.

Curry’s night ended after three innings. He surrendered six earned runs while taking the loss, dropping to 0-1. Baltimore’s ability to punish mistakes early effectively removed any opportunity for the Mets to settle into the game.

Encarnacion-Strand has huge night

Encarnacion-Strand delivered the biggest overall offensive performance for Baltimore, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. It marked the first three-extra-base-hit game of his major-league career.

His production went beyond the two-run homer. Encarnacion-Strand consistently created scoring opportunities in the middle of Baltimore’s lineup and eventually scored three of the Orioles’ seven runs. His combination of power and extra-base ability gave New York few opportunities to navigate through the heart of the Baltimore order without damage.

Basallo also continued showing why he remains such an important part of Baltimore’s young core. The catcher finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. His third-inning homer gave Baltimore a 6-0 advantage, and he later drove home Encarnacion-Strand with an RBI single in the ninth for the game’s final run.

Bassitt dominates former team

While Baltimore’s offense supplied the power, Bassitt made sure the early advantage never came under serious threat.

Bassitt allowed just one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. The veteran improved to 8-5 and turned in one of his strongest performances since returning from back surgery earlier this season.

New York’s only run came in the fourth inning. Jared Young reached and eventually scored when Marcus Semien delivered an RBI single, cutting Baltimore’s lead to 6-1. Bassitt prevented the Mets from turning the inning into anything more substantial and continued working deep into the game.

The Mets threatened again in the seventh when Young and Brett Baty recorded two-out singles. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz went to the bullpen, bringing in Anthony Nunez to face Luis Torrens. Nunez responded by striking out Torrens and preserving Baltimore’s five-run advantage.

Baltimore’s bullpen handled the remainder of the night. Nunez finished the seventh, Jordan Walker handled the eighth and Yennier Cano closed out the ninth. Cano induced Baty to ground out for the final out, officially completing Baltimore’s sweep.

Orioles finish off the sweep

The Orioles did not simply win three games at Citi Field. They found different ways to win throughout the series, including a dramatic extra-inning victory Tuesday followed by a much more comfortable win Wednesday.

Wednesday’s finale showcased the formula Baltimore hoped to establish entering the final weeks of the season: power throughout the lineup, quality starting pitching and a bullpen capable of protecting a lead. Four different Orioles homered, and Baltimore had essentially put the game away before the Mets came to bat in the bottom of the third.

The series also carried obvious significance because of Alonso. His return to Citi Field became even more memorable Tuesday when he hit career home run No. 300 to tie the game in the ninth. He followed that performance by immediately homering again Wednesday, helping his new team finish a sweep of his former club.

Wild-card race remains alive

More importantly for Baltimore, the victory kept its postseason hopes alive.

The Orioles improved to 75-78 and sat 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the final American League wild-card position following Wednesday’s action. With only nine regular-season games remaining, Baltimore has little room for mistakes, but sweeping New York prevented the Orioles from losing additional ground at a crucial point on the schedule.

Baltimore now returns home with momentum and will begin a series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at Camden Yards. The remaining schedule also includes games against the Toronto Blue Jays as the Orioles try to turn an improbable late-season playoff push into something more.

MSB Take

The Orioles could not have asked for a much better ending to their series in New York. Baltimore followed Tuesday night’s emotional extra-inning victory with a convincing performance in which the result was practically decided after three innings. Four early home runs combined with Bassitt’s excellent start allowed the Orioles to control the game from beginning to end.

Encarnacion-Strand’s performance was especially encouraging. Three extra-base hits, including a home run, showed exactly how much damage he can create when he is locked in at the plate. Add Basallo’s continued power development and another Alonso homer, and Baltimore suddenly has several dangerous bats producing simultaneously.

The difficult reality is that the Orioles still have significant work ahead of them. Being 2 1/2 games out with nine games remaining leaves almost no margin for a prolonged slump. But Baltimore is still playing meaningful baseball deep into September, and a three-game road sweep is exactly what the club needed to keep that opportunity alive.

Now the challenge is bringing the same urgency back to Camden Yards.