FLUSHING - Bruised thigh be damned. If there was any pain eminating from the tender muscle aggravated on Thursday, Pete Alonso channeled the pulsating anguish into a productive direction.
With two mighty hacks, Alonso launched a pair of titanic blasts - his second two-homer game of the season - as the Mets ran their win streak to five by throttling the Braves, 8-3. The win boosts New York's lead in the NL East to a season-high 4/12 games over the second-place Nats while putting Atlanta five back.
Alonso talked his way into the lineup and made his actions speak even louder than his promise. Brandon Nimmo led of the bottom of the first with a home run to left that snapped his icy chill at the dish and, one batter later, Alonso broke a 1-1 tie with an opposite-field solo shot to right.
Rene Rivera got in on the long-action by going the other way for a home run with the bases empty in the second and Alonso
belted his second of the night in the third, a towering two-run clout into the second deck in left for his seventh of the year. He finished the night 3 for 5 with two runs, three RBI and an average ascending to a season-best .295.
Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto each collected three hits apiece amid a 14-hit onslaught.
Noah Syndergaard (4-2) was the benefactor, but more than held up his end of the job. He conceded a solo homer to Freddie Freeman in the first but settled in to toss seven innings of six-hit ball that featured 11 strikeouts, two walks and a single run.
bombhis anguish in a great direction, unleashing is willing to play through the pain in order to