Francisco Alvarez set a franchise record for a rookie catcher with 14 home runs when the New York Mets increased their winning streak to three games with Tuesday’s 8-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Phoenix.
It was a good night for the rookies as Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll, selected to start in next week’s All-Star Game in Seattle, hit his 18th home run of the season.
The teams meet again Wednesday in the second contest of the three-game series.
“It feels good,” Alvarez said through a translator about achieving the Mets’ rookie catcher record. “We’re approaching this halfway point of the season, but I feel like there’s a lot more to do. We’re putting up good at-bats and are excited about it.”
Travis d’Arnaud had the previous Mets rookie catcher home run record with 13 in 2014.
Carroll returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after nursing a shoulder injury last weekend in a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels.
He missed two games and pinch-hit in the series finale Sunday.
Carroll, who is batting .292, has 24 stolen bases, 20 doubles, three triples and 46 RBIs.
He went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in Tuesday’s game.
“I had some decisions to make at the back end of the Anaheim series,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “I think we dodged a bullet by him speaking up (about his shoulder injury). If there was something that was going to become more serious, he did a good job and he’s in a good spot right now.”
New York right-hander Kodai Senga (6-5, 3.53 ERA) will start Wednesday after he originally was slated to be on the mound Tuesday.
Mets manager Buck Showalter decided to give Senga an extra day of rest while starting Max Scherzer instead.
Pitching Tuesday instead will allow Scherzer to start the Mets’ last game before the All-Star break on Sunday at the San Diego Padres.
“Max feels good and I wanna keep Senga with what we’ve been doing with him all year,” Showalter said of Senga, who last started June 28 against the Milwaukee Brewers at home and took a no-decision in the Mets’ 5-2 loss.
Senga has experienced stretches of six days and a full week between starts this season.
“It gives Max a chance to start today and before the break, something we wanted to do and he felt he was ready for it,” Showalter said after the game.
Senga, 30, is in his rookie season with the Mets after playing professionally in Japan from 2012 to last season.
He will pitch against the Diamondbacks for the first time in his career.
His most recent win came June 10 when he went seven scoreless innings in a 5-1 win at the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out six.
Senga has lost two of three starts and posted a 4.24 ERA since.
Left-hander Tommy Henry (5-1, 4.08) will start against Senga.
Henry, in his second year in the major leagues, will face the Mets for the first time.
He has won his past two starts, both on the road, against the Washington Nationals on June 22 and the Angels last Friday.
In 12 1/3 innings in those two starts, Henry allowed a combined two runs, 11 hits, three walks and 13 strikeouts.