When the visiting Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets start a three-game series Monday night, the status of both teams’ first basemen could be a question.
New York star Pete Alonso barely maintained his consecutive games played streak at 354 by entering Sunday’s 3-2 win over Cincinnati as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. Los Angeles first baseman Nolan Schanuel departed Sunday’s 8-2 win at Philadelphia after being hit by a Ranger Suarez changeup.
The Angels said Schanuel sustained a left wrist contusion and is considered “day-to-day.” He has played in 95 of their 99 games, batting .274 with eight homers and 40 RBIs while drawing 44 walks, second on the team to Mike Trout (49).
Los Angeles overcame his early exit because the guy who replaced Schanuel, LaMonte Wade Jr., rapped out three hits and his first homer in 24 games with the team. Wade is hitting just .208 for the Angels after batting .167 in 50 games with San Francisco but has been a reliable hitter in previous years with the Giants, hitting a career-high .260 last year and belting 18 homers in 2021.
“It feels great any time you can contribute to the team winning,” he said. “I hope Nolan is all right because he’s been grinding all year. You never want to come in like that.”
The result gave Los Angeles a series win against the National League East leader and enabled it to edge within four games of Boston for the American League’s last wild-card spot. The Angels have been rumored as a seller by most pundits but could opt to go for it if they can keep stacking series wins before the trading deadline.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-6, 4.34 ERA) will get the ball Monday night for Los Angeles. He last pitched on July 11 in his team’s 6-5 win over Arizona, allowing eight hits and four runs in five innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Anderson is 2-3 with a 2.88 earned-run average in 34 1/3 innings over six career starts against the Mets.
New York counters with Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.39), who last pitched on July 11 in Kansas City, tossing four scoreless innings in his team’s 8-3 win. Senga gave up four hits and two walks, fanning four.
He lost his only career start against the Angels but permitted just two runs in 6 2/3 innings while whiffing 10 in August 2023.
The Mets avoided a series sweep at the Reds’ hands Sunday by winning at the margins. Juan Soto’s big lead from third base allowed him to beat the throw home on Luis Torrens’ hard-hit grounder to second and snap a 2-2 tie in the eighth.
They also manufactured a run in the fifth when Brett Baty stole second after a leadoff single, leading up to Luisangel Acuna’s RBI double.
“You put pressure on the defense and try to take an extra 90 feet,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “I thought we did that today — just look at the Soto play.”
Mendoza also said after Sunday’s game that he anticipates Alonso being in the lineup on Monday night.