Pete Alonso apparently is a “trust the process” kind of guy.
The Mets slugger is mired in an 0-for-21 hitless skid over the past week entering Tuesday’s homestand opener against the Nationals, but he feels like the quality of his at-bats recently portend that the breakout the sliding Mets sorely need from him is coming.
“Well, I’m hitting balls hard, they’re either not going out of the yard or I’m hitting line drives right at guys,” Alonso said after Sunday’s 3-0 blanking against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies, the Mets’ seventh loss in eight games to fall out of first place in the NL East. “It’s a tough game sometimes and I’ve been putting together a lot of really quality at-bats. I’ve been taking my walks.
“I’ve been taking what pitchers have given me, but I’m doing the best I can to try to hit the ball hard and find a hole.”
Alonso hasn’t mustered a hit since blasting a third-inning homer — his 24th of the season — and reaching on a fifth-inning single last Monday in Miami, but he has drawn eight walks over the past six games. He also pointed out that he crushed a 107 mph shot to dead center that “unfortunately the wind knocked down” in the seventh inning Sunday in Philadelphia
“That how it goes sometimes,” Alonso said. “Over the past week, it’s been frustrating not seeing balls fall, but what is good is I’m hitting the ball hard on a pretty consistent basis, day-in and day-out of putting together quality at-bats, getting my ‘A’ swings off, and I feel like I’ve been getting on base a whole bunch.
“So yeah, it’s baseball, there’s ups and downs. And right now, this is unfortunate, but it is what it is, and on to Tuesday.”
Alonso added that he understands baseball is “a results-oriented game,” and the Mets’ unproductive offense has totaled just 20 runs during this eight-game stretch (2.5 per game). Their 416 runs scored overall this season rank second-to-last in all of MLB, ahead of only the Pirates (411).
“Collectively as a group, it’s just been really tough to find hits … and it’s frustrating,” Alonso said. “I’m lucky and blessed enough for this to be my job, but my job is on TV. And this past week, it was a rough week for me, no doubt, for sure.
“Everybody has had a bad day at work, and even though you’re trying and giving your best at work, whatever your profession, you can try, try, try, and you can really dive into it and really hope that you turn things around. … There’s certain times in the process where you know you’re doing the right thing, you know you’re on the right path, but you’re just not getting the tangible results.”
Alonso also attempted to reassure the team’s fans that the Mets (56-55) have both the time and the talent to recover and capture the NL East crown. They open this six-game homestand 2 ½ games behind the first-place Phillies, but they also will face the playoff-positioned Giants and Dodgers for 13 consecutive games beginning Friday.
“Mets fans, believe in us. And don’t just believe. Know,” Alonso said. “Because there’s tough times, not just in baseball, but in life in general, know that this is just going to be a speed bump and a challenge. And also smile, you get to watch baseball. It’s a game.
“I know we have the most passionate fan base in baseball. I know that. And I understand it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for us, but just understand that we’re here together. We’re all in this together, and we got this. Just smile and just know that we got this.”