Luis Robert Jr. hit two home runs against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, to help the New York Mets secure a 10-5 victory on Saturday night. Robert, who spent seven seasons with the White Sox, delivered a two-run homer in the third inning that extended the Mets' lead to 4-1, and added a solo blast in the seventh.
The outfielder expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, "It feels good to hit homers against any team at home. But I will say it felt good to hit the home runs here, just because it was a stadium I played so many games over my career." He acknowledged feeling "a little weird and a little strange" during his return on Friday, but found Saturday's experience to be "pretty normal."
The Mets offense featured five home runs in total. Catcher Francisco Alvarez also contributed, snapping an 0-for-14 streak with a single in his first at-bat. Despite the hit, Alvarez has been dealing with mounting frustration, evidenced by a bat-snapping incident on Friday. He finished Saturday's game 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Before the game, Alvarez commented on his frustration, stating, "The frustration was from [Friday], because it only matters the day we played. What happened before is in the past. It’s more about the day."
Alvarez entered Saturday's game hitting .154 in August with a .536 OPS, having struck out in 25 of his at-bats. Interim manager Andy Green noted Alvarez's passion and dedication, attributing his struggles partly to missing hittable pitches and failing to make solid contact. "I think chase usually shows up after you have missed your pitch," Green said. "He’s had some pitches to hit but he hasn’t necessarily squared up. When that happens he’s found himself outside of the strike zone."
In other team news, Mark Vientos, who began a minor league rehab assignment on Friday, is expected to play first and third base before rejoining the Mets. Vientos has been sidelined since July 10 with a fractured right hand.