CHICAGO — If there’s one thing Jesse Winker knows how to do, it’s bring the vibes.
Winker went 3-for-3 with two RBI and hit back-to-back homers with Pete Alonso in the first inning to help lead the Mets over the Chicago White Sox, 5-3, on Saturday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Mets took the series with the victory, their second straight series win and third in four tries.
“He’s locked in right now,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Winker. “It’s quality at-bat after quality at-bat.”
Winker, who was acquired ahead of the trade deadline late in July to bolster the Mets’ outfield depth and bring some pop off the bench, did exactly that Saturday night in Chicago. Facing right-hander Davis Martin, a career minor leaguer who has shown potential this month with a sub-3.00 ERA, the Mets opened up the game with a two-out rally in the first inning.
Martin struck out Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo before giving up a single to Mark Vientos. Alonso then homered on the first pitch, sending it into the right field stands to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.
Martin then threw Winker a changeup and the outfielder drove it into the right field stands where the 7 Line Army, the traveling Mets fan group, was sitting.
“That’s a guy that’s got a pretty good changeup,” Mendoza said. “He’s controlling the strike zone and doing things we knew he was capable of.”
The 7 Line fans chanted “Jesse” while he rounded the bases. Their presence didn’t go unnoticed.
Once a vilified rival of Mets fans, Winker once trolled them by waving to them after making a sliding catch to end a game and secure a win for the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. This time, Winker saluted the fans who now cheer for him when he waved to them while running out to the outfield before the bottom of the first.
“I just wanted to give them a wave,” Winker said. “Give them some love.”
Winker made it 4-0 in the third when he drove in Francisco Lindor with an RBI single. His single in the sixth advanced Alonso to second, putting him in position to score on Starling Marte’s single off right-hander Gus Varland. It was Winker’s third straight multi-hit game.
“I’m just trying to put the barrel on the ball and keep things simple,” Winker said. “Just hit it hard.”
Martin (0-3) was charged with four earned runs on five hits, walked one and struck out six over five innings.
Alonso went 2-for-4 with his 30th home run of the season and left-hander Jose Quintana limited his former team to two runs (one earned) over five innings.
Quintana, who pitched for the White Sox from 2012 until midway through 2017 when he was traded across town to the Cubs, put the first four runners on in the second inning and allowed a run to score. He settled in after that, but a passed ball by Francisco Alvarez in the third inning eventually led to a run. All told, he allowed five hits, walked three and struck out six.
“He had to battle today,” Mendoza said. “But he found a way to give us five. There some deep counts, he got behind in three-ball counts, they hit some balls hard on the ground that found holes. But look, he gave us five and we ended up getting the win.”
It wasn’t his best outing, but it was better than some of his recent ones. It was enough to give the Mets a chance to win and the bullpen took it from there with Huascar Brazobán, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton bridging the gap to right-hander Jose Butto.
“I kept pitching,” Quintana said. “Figured out a way to win.”
Butto gave up a run, but stranded two to convert his third save.
The Mets (72-64) might have been playing an opponent who has been out of the playoff race practically since Opening Day, but with their own spot still on the line, they can’t afford to take their foot off the pedal against anyone, even the White Sox (31-106).
It was evident in the way the Mets played defense. Jeff McNeil ran all the way to right field to back up a play when Marte struggled to track a ball in the lights. Brandon Nimmo laid out for a diving catch in left field and Lindor made clutch plays at shortstop.
“To be able to continue to win games and stay in there, we have to do the little things,” Mendoza said. “I thought it was really good to see Nimmo do that today, it was a hell of a play. Tyrone [Taylor] catching a ball in the gap and making it look really easy… We continue to play good defense and I thought the bullpen today was really good today too.”
With an Atlanta Braves’ loss, the Mets are now two games back from a wild card spot. The vibes are high.
“Every single game and every single play means a lot for us,” Quintana said. “We push each other and we feel really good right now. This was a big night for us and tomorrow we’ll come back strong and get that sweep before going back to New York.”