NEW YORK — When Francisco Lindor injured his back last weekend, two pressing questions arose. The first was how long Lindor could be sidelined. The second was who could step up for the Mets in his absence.
If the first question remains open, the second now has an obvious answer. Francisco Alvarez hit a home run and drove in three runs in the Mets’ 6-3 victory over the Phillies at Citi Field on Saturday, securing at least a series division and preventing the Phillies — for one day, at least — from clinching the National League East title on the Queens turf.
The Mets, meanwhile, maintained their two-game lead over the Braves with seven games remaining. And they did it in front of a sellout crowd of 44,152, the largest at Citi Field this season and the fifth-largest in stadium history.
It was Alvarez who opened the scoring for the Mets with a tying solo home run off Ranger Suárez in the second inning. Luisangel Acuña also hit his third career home run, and Brandon Nimmo singled to give the Mets the lead in the seventh inning. But the Mets still needed insurance. It was Alvarez who doubled into the gap between left and center for two more runs off Orion Kerkering.
Five of Alvarez’s 11 home runs have come in his last nine games. He’s increased his OPS by 50 points over that span.
Edwin Diaz blocked the final four outs for a save in replacement of Sean Manaea, who allowed three runs in seven-plus innings.
