Carlos Carrasco shines as Mets power past Giants for another series win

NEW YORK – Francisco Lindor smiled and ran a hand through his wavy blue hair when his starting pitcher's name was brought up.

Some of the Mets are getting their first look at peak Carlos Carrasco, but not Lindor. No one had a better view during a run of three straight division titles in Cleveland.

"Yeah, that's the Cookie I know," Lindor said. "It doesn't matter who's on the other side. He's going to go at you with his best."

The former Cleveland teammates looked like their old selves on Thursday in the Mets' series-finale against San Francisco. Lindor crushed his fourth home run of the season and Carrasco shut down the opposing lineup to lead the Mets past the Giants, 6-2, before 28,760 fans at Citi Field.

Between them, the NL East-leading Mets (10-4) were able to take three out of four against the team that won more than anyone in the 2021 regular season.

One year in and the returns of the Mets' blockbuster trade with Cleveland were underwhelming. But over the last three weeks, Lindor and Carrasco have scripted a different story.

In his longest start ever as a Met, Carrasco scattered four hits and two earned runs over 7 2/3 innings.

"That's a really good lineup," manager Buck Showalter said. "You see a guy that's successful in the third time around the order, that tells you that he has a lot of weapons at his disposal that day. It's fun to play behind him."

On the money

Carrasco was more than just a throw-in when he came over to Queens last January with Lindor. By then, he had proven to be a reliable starter with a 3.77 ERA in 11 seasons with Cleveland.

But Carrasco came into 2022 as one of the wild cards of the Mets' rotation after a shaky year and offseason surgery on his right elbow. Plus, there was the hamstring issue that cost him the first three months of last year.

"He had a look in his eye this spring that he was all business, not that he didn't before," Showalter said. "You don't become a prisoner to the past by dwelling on it. You move forward."

Carrasco retired 20 of his last 22 batters on Thursday, lowering his ERA to 1.47 through three starts. The 35-year-old pointed to his confidence in throwing four pitches for strikes.

"Sometimes we go out there and only have two," Carrasco said. "You try to figure it out. For my last three outings, it's been great."

Finding a groove

Some players don't seem to be comfortable in the DH role, but Lindor isn't one of them. The Mets' shortstop has mashed in that spot, hitting 24-for-53 with seven homers and 13 RBI in 12 career games.

Showalter said he wanted to give Lindor a breather after a stretch of three games in two days, while still getting the versatility he brings as a switch-hitter.

"It feels good to not be on my feet for three hours," Lindor said. "But I get bored. I'm a shortstop."

The Mets ambushed Freehold native Anthony DeSclafani, plating five runs over the first three innings. And it all started with Lindor (3-for-5, two runs), who blasted a solo shot to the second deck in right.

From there, the Mets pulled away behind two of their newest acquisitions.

In the second inning, Eduardo Escobar went deep for the first time as a Met.

"The one thing we can control is the work ethic that we put into this and the effort that we have on the field," Escobar said through an interpreter. "We don't always control the results but we always control the way we play and how hard we play. That's what we've been doing."

Tomas Nido made it 3-1 with a sac fly and Mark Canha extended the Mets lead with a two-run single in the third.

With a pair of hits, Canha has reached base safely in all eight games as a Met.

"The transition for me at least was pretty seamless," Canha said. "I give a lot of credit to the guys here for creating an awesome atmosphere to come to."

Sean Farrell is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.

Email: farrells@northjersey.com

Twitter: @seanfarrell92

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Carlos Carrasco powers NY Mets past San Francisco Giants