Pete Alonso returned to familiar territory.
The Mets had Alonso back in the cleanup spot for Tuesday’s series opener in Colorado, a day after dropping him below the four-hole for the first time in nearly four years.
Alonso batted fifth in Monday’s 6-0 win in St. Louis, during which Tyrone Taylor delivered a three-run double during a rare start as the No. 2 hitter. Alonso went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.
“I don’t know that this will go consistently,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Monday’s game. “Maybe tomorrow we’re facing a lefty and Pete’s back in the four-hole.”
Indeed, the righty-swinging Alonso was back to hitting cleanup with the Rockies sending left-hander Kyle Freeland to the mound. Alonso entered Tuesday with an .828 OPS against lefties, compared to a .777 mark against righties.
Before Monday’s game, Mendoza said he wanted Taylor, a right-handed hitter with a .267 average against righty pitching, high in the order against the Cardinals’ Andre Pallante, a right-hander with reverse splits.
Still, the lineup change was notable considering Alonso had not batted lower than fourth since Sept. 26, 2020, when he hit sixth. Alonso was the Mets’ lone All-Star this season, but he began Tuesday with a career-low .790 OPS and a .198 average with runners in scoring position.
“I want to win, and I trust [Mendoza] to run out the best lineup every single day,” Alonso said Monday. “If that’s what he thinks [is] going to help us win, I’m all for it.”
Mendoza shook up the lineup after a three-game series in Anaheim in which the Mets went 6-for-35 (.171) with runners in scoring position. In the 17 games between July 14 and Sunday, the Mets hit .186 with runners in scoring position.
Taylor, who was hitting .177 against left-handed pitchers, was down to the No. 9 spot Tuesday.
An impending free agent, Alonso entered the Rockies series with a .241 average and a team-high 23 home runs.
