Mets at Royals
The New York Mets lost three of the first four contests of their six-game road trip and avoided another setback on Saturday with a late surge. New York attempts to break even on its trek when it visits the Kansas City Royals on Sunday for the rubber match of their three-game interleague series.
Rookie Pete Alonso snapped a tie with a two-run single in the seventh inning and Juan Lagares added an RBI triple a frame later as the Mets bounced back from a 4-1 loss in the series opener by posting an identical victory. The 24-year-old Alonso has gone 8-for-13 with a homer and eight RBIs over his last three contests for New York, which remained two games out of the second wild-card spot in the National League. Hunter Dozier accounted for two of the four singles recorded on Saturday by Kansas City, which has gone 1-3 on its five-game homestand and been outscored 12-1 in the losses. Dozier has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 contests and each of the last six, recording back-to-back two-hit performances in this series.
TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FS Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (9-7, 4.36 ERA) vs. Royals RH Glenn Sparkman (3-8, 5.45)
Wheeler's three-start winning streak came to an end Tuesday as he was tagged for five runs and 12 hits over five innings in a loss at Atlanta. The 29-year-old Georgian had scattered 12 hits over 15 scoreless frames in his previous two outings. Wheeler made his only career start against Kansas City as a rookie at home on Aug. 4, 2013, when he yielded four runs on seven hits and five walks in five innings en route to a defeat.
Sparkman fell to 0-3 in his last five starts on Tuesday despite allowing just two runs - one earned - and four hits in six innings against St. Louis. The 27-year-old Texan, who hasn't won since tossing a five-hit shutout versus the Chicago White Sox on July 16, surrendered a total of 23 runs over 19 2/3 innings in his previous four turns. Sparkman never has faced the Mets but is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five career interleague games, including two starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Mets OF J.D. Davis, who went 2-for-4 in the series opener to extend his hitting streak to 10 games but tweaked his right calf, was kept out of Saturday's starting lineup but struck out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
2. Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy (hamstring) threw a simulated game on Friday and could be activated from the injured list next weekend in Cleveland.
3. New York placed Robert Gsellman (triceps) on the 10-day IL and recalled fellow RHP Walker Lockett from Triple-A Syracuse.