Francisco Alvarez, Sean Manaea lead Mets past Rangers 6-3

The New York Mets opened their Texas series with a 6-3 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Sept. 22, getting two doubles and two runs from Francisco Alvarez and six strong innings from Sean Manaea. The loss left Texas at 78-79 and allowed Houston to pull level with the Rangers atop the AL West.

The teams traded runs in the third. Juan Soto's single scored Alvarez for New York, and Josh Jung answered with a double that brought home Danny Jansen. Texas went ahead in the fourth after Brandon Nimmo's error in right field allowed Carson Benge to score, but the lead lasted only until the bottom half ended. Elias Díaz and Wyatt Langford each lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Rangers ahead 3-2.

New York took control in the sixth. Alvarez's second double of the night scored Benge and Marcus Semien, then Luis Torrens followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Alvarez home. Benge added an insurance double in the seventh, scoring Brett Baty. Alvarez finished 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs, while Benge went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI. Soto also had two hits and drove in a run.

Manaea allowed three hits and three runs, two earned, over six innings while striking out nine and walking two. The Mets bullpen closed the game with Nate Lavender, Dedniel Núñez and Kodai Senga each throwing a scoreless inning. Senga earned the save. Nathan Eovaldi took the loss after giving up three runs in one inning, and MacKenzie Gore allowed two earned runs over five innings for Texas.

The game was also Texas' first with Andy Green as its full-time manager, a detail noted in the Associated Press recap. The Rangers still produced early opportunities, but New York's two-out hits in the sixth and seventh changed the game. Alvarez's extra-base work supplied the middle-order lift, and Manaea's strikeout total kept Texas from extending its brief fourth-inning advantage.