Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso break out of slumps to provide encouragement before road trip

NEW YORK — Francisco Lindor is never going to be one to make excuses, but a career-worst slump had everyone within the Mets organization seeking answers.

Was the lingering pain from his fractured pinkie toe creeping into his mind at the plate? Was it a little bit of bad luck? Had his swing gotten a little long?

In the midst of an 0-for-30 slump entering Wednesday afternoon, the Mets shortstop was seeking a remedy. He saw the tide turn in a meaningful way in the series finale, driving in two runs on a pair of singles to help lead the Mets to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels in front of 41,591 fans at Citi Field.

Lindor was not the only one to tear through his strife. Pete Alonso, who had been hitless in three games, blasted a mammoth 439-foot three-run home run that gave the Mets key separation to storm away with their fourth straight win.

With the Mets set to embark on a six-game California road trip, with a pair of three-game series against National League playoff contenders Giants and Padres, the lift provided by Lindor and Alonso provided some encouragement.

As did the latest performance of Sean Manaea, who allowed just one earned run on a Mike Trout solo home run across five innings. He struck out five and gave up two hits and two walks while throwing a season-high 82 pitches in his third outing since returning from an oblique strain.

Francisco Lindor's slump busted

It had been more than 10 days since Lindor had collected a hit — a stretch dating back to before the All-Star break on July 12 when he collected a single, run and stolen base.

But the drought, which spanned six games entering Wednesday afternoon, had reached extensive depths. Lindor had reached base once on a groundout but had not drawn any walks and struck out eight times during that run.

That made Wednesday's effort all the more important. In his opening at-bat, the Mets shortstop tagged a hard fly ball to center field. Then, he finally found a hole with a pair of runners on base in a tie game.

Lindor blooped in a single off Jake Eder to snap his hitless streak at 31 at-bats and give the Mets the lead. An inning later with the Mets leading 5-1 and a runner on second base, Lindor tagged an inside fastball into left field for his second RBI of the game.

In the 11 games in July before the drought began, Lindor was 13-for-43 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, three doubles and 12 runs.

Pete Alonso home run chase heating up

Beneath Lindor's lengthy struggles, Alonso had been weathering his own downturn.

After striking out in his first at-bat on Wednesday afternoon, Alonso was 2-for-34 dating back to a doubleheader against the Orioles on July 10.

The Mets first baseman, who missed his first start of the season on July 20 as he dealt with a right hand contusion, delivered the biggest blow of the game in the finale.

After Lindor gave the Mets a 2-1 lead, Alonso stepped to the plate with a pair of runners on base and blasted a knee-high fastball off the second deck in left field to boost the Mets ahead 5-1. He added a single in the bottom of the seventh for his first two-hit game since July 8.

Alonso's home run was his 22nd of the season and gave him 80 RBI. With 248 career home runs, he is now four away from tying Darryl Strawberry for most all time.

Starling Marte, Jose Butto return

The performances of Lindor and Alonso was not the only relief that came on Wednesday.

Starling Marte, who missed a little more than two weeks with a right knee bruise, was back in the lineup at designated hitter, one day after being activated. Marte provided a pair of hits, including a fifth-inning double in the win.

Jose Butto, who had been dealing with an illness, also returned for the Mets. The right-handed reliever scuffled some in his return, giving up a trio of hits in between a pair of outs, but his presence should bolster a taxed bullpen.

Butto provides the ability to toss multiple innings to bridge the gap to the high-leverage relievers, or toss an inning of his own late in games.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso break out of slump in sweep