Buck Showalter, Pete Alonso turn page to homestand after Mets' 'very tough week'
The MLB trade deadline ended at 6 p.m. Tuesday, just a few hours before the Mets began a six-game stretch in Kansas City and Baltimore.
On Sunday, after losing their sixth straight game, manager Buck Showalter was left to sum up the trip.
"Not too good," Showalter said.
Pete Alonso echoed his skipper.
"Really, really, really tough week," Alonso said. "Very tough week."
Alonso had six hits in the first five games of the trip, including a home run. But New York’s first baseman had an especially tough Sunday going 0-for-3 with a strikeout, a walk, and two inning-ending double plays in the 2-0 loss to Baltimore.
"Get home and hopefully turn some things around," Showalter said.
After trade-deadline deals saw David Robertson, Max Scherzer, Mark Canha, Justin Verlander and Tommy Pham get dealt, a bit of a rough patch was expected.
"We're just doing the best we can with what we got," Alonso said. "All we can do is just go out there play hard and give it our best every day."
And with the trades, there are new opportunities for younger players and Alonso recognizes that creates a different dynamic for the squad and will continue when the rosters expand next month.
"It's strange 'cause there's guys that are coming up that are excited to get a chance to play in the big leagues," Alonso said. "So having guys that have been grinding away in the minors all year, they're super excited to get a chance. And all of us that are the people that have been here all year, we've been super welcoming. That's a huge positive for all the guys that have been working hard all year to get back to the big leagues or get to the big leagues.
"It's super exciting for a lot of the guys. And for us, we're just trying to do the best we can to win each game. But we need to be better, for sure."
For Showalter, the 10-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates represents another chance for the players on the roster both young and old and shake off a road trip that saw the club outscored 39-14.
"People continue to hopefully make use of their opportunities that they are getting," the skipper said. "It's a learning curve, it’s painful sometimes, and I feel for 'em."
