NEW YORK — Brandon Belt broke a tiebreaking seventh inning with a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Sunday for a three-game sweep.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also went deep for the Blue Jays, who blew a four-run lead but rallied quickly. Toronto has won four straight and six of seven after completing its fourth sweep this season and the first in franchise history against the Mets.
“Sweeping a team is very difficult no matter where you are or who you are,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I thought it was really a full team effort over the weekend.”
Tommy Pham hit two of New York’s four solo home runs, his ninth career multi-homer game and first since April 2019 with Tampa Bay. Pete Alonso and Starling Marte also connected for the Mets (30-30), who completed a 3-3 home stand that began with a three-game sweep of Philadelphia.
“I guess from now on we are a .500 baseball club,” Alonso said. “They are a very good team there. We were at every one of these games. We had the opportunity to win them all. So it’s frustrating, but we have to go back and play our best and win games.”
Nate Pearson (3-0) allowed Alonso’s major league-leading 21st home run and Marte’s tying drive in the sixth before Toronto regained the lead against Dominic Leone (0-2). Alonso’s 72nd home run at Citi Field made him his career ballpark leader.
Guerrero, who homered in the third off Kodai Senga, singled to center in the seventh. Belt followed up by hitting a slider off the protective wall surrounding the home run apple in the center.
“I saw it hit something, but I wasn’t really sure what it was,” Belt said. “I knew once I saw him hit the black part that it was a home run.”
It was Belt’s third home run and his first since May 10 in Philadelphia. He was also his second in New York this season: The veteran first baseman slumped April 21 at Yankee Stadium.
Belt’s momentum came after he struck out in his first three at-bats. He is hitting .347 (25-for-72) in his last 25 games.
“Big home run. But his at-bats this weekend, lately they’ve been very consistent,” Schneider said.
After getting the go-ahead hit in the ninth inning Saturday against David Robertson when the Mets decided not to walk him, Guerrero homered for the first time since hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning at Tampa Bay on the 23rd of May.
Whit Merrifield hit an early two-run double off an ineffective Senga. Matt Chapman doubled and scored on a two-base throwing error by rookie catcher Francisco Álvarez.
Pham homered in back-to-back at-bats off starter Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed two runs and four hits in five innings.
Jordan Romano pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 15th save in 18 chances.
Pitching on four days rest for the first time in the majors, Senga allowed four runs, three earned, and four hits in a career-low 2 2/3 innings.
“There were a lot of times where their lineup took a lot of the off-speed offers,” Senga said through a translator. “There were adjustments that I needed to make in the game and I couldn’t do it.”
The Mets totaled just five runs in the series and fell back to .500 for the 11th time. New York also lost for the seventh time in 12 games since winning five straight from May 17-22.
KING OF QUEENS
Alonso broke a tie with former Mets first baseman Lucas Duda for the most home runs at Citi Field, which opened in 2009.
“I didn’t know that,” Alonso said. “That’s unbelievable. Awesome. Excellent. Hopefully I hit more of them here.”
It was Alonso’s 289th regular season game at the stadium. Duda, who was with the Mets from 2010 to 2017, played in 388 games there.
COACHES ROOM
Blue Jays: INF Santiago Espinal (right hamstring) went 1 for 3 in his fourth rehab game with Class A Dunedin.
Mets: C Omar Narváez (injured left calf) played back-to-back rehab games for Triple-A Syracuse and could be activated Tuesday when he is first eligible. … LHP José Quintana (fractured left rib) will pitch batting practice Monday at the team’s compound in Florida. … RHP Elieser Hernandez (right shoulder strain) pitched 1 1/3 innings during his fourth rehab appearance for Class A St. Lucie.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Blue Jays: RHP Alek Manoah (1-6, 5.46 ERA) faces Houston RHP Brandon Bielak (2-2, 3.19) in the opener of a four-game series Monday at home.
Mets: RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.74 ERA) faces Braves RHP Bryce Elder (3-0, 1.92) in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday in Atlanta.
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