Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sat at the dais in the bowels of Citi Field and expressed confidence that Francisco Alvarez will find his groove in the postseason.
So far that just hasn’t been the case.
Although the Mets have two series wins in tow, the young catcher has struggled offensively. And as the NLCS against a loaded Dodgers team shifts to New York with the series tied 1-1, they’ll likely need Alvarez’s bat to pick up.
In nine postseason appearances this year, he has gone 5-for-32 with 10 strikeouts and a slash line of .156/.182/.156.
What has also become noticeable: his struggles with runners on base. Alvarez left seven runners on in three at-bats during Game 2 in Los Angeles, including an opportunity in the top of the second with two runners on and the Mets only leading 2-0 — though Mark Vientos’ dramatic grand slam bailed him out.
Mendoza didn’t think the 22-year-old was starting to tire after the long season, but did acknowledge that he “may be trying to do a little too much at times” with runners on base.
“But he’s a good hitter, man,” Mendoza said during the Mets’ workout at Citi Field on Tuesday. “I like the conviction. I like that he’s aggressive. And he will continue to get opportunities because he’s a big part of this team.”
Alvarez has been effective for the Mets behind the plate, where he ended Shohei Ohtani’s stolen base streak with a pickoff throw in the second inning of Game 1.
And Alvarez has worked well with the Mets pitching staff, with Edwin Diaz crediting him for the pitch call during a crucial at-bat against Enrique Hernández in the eighth that ended a Dodgers scoring chance.
Mendoza noted that at the plate, it would take some adjustments for Alvarez to find his offense again and that things would turn around.
“You’re facing elite pitching and you’re going to have to make some adjustments because they’re going to be tough,” the Mets manager explained. “They’ve got good scouting reports. Like I said, you have to make adjustments. Specifically that last game I think he was trying to do a little too much with runners on, but he’ll be fine.”
Alvarez has been in the lineup for every game this postseason, and if Mendoza’s words on Tuesday evening are any indication, it doesn’t appear that he’s thinking of making a change yet.
Alvarez and the rest of the Mets lineup will have to contend with righty Walker Buehler on the mound in Game 3 on Wednesday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 4 for the Dodgers.
