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Francisco Alvarez (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
QUEENS — It’s the top of the ninth, bases loaded, the tying run is 90 feet away, and Francisco Alvarez’s job behind the plate doesn’t get much more extensive than the situation on Wednesday night at Citi Field against the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets’ rookie catcher has to try and guide new reliever Phil Bickford — acquired by the Mets for cash from the Los Angeles Dodgers on trade deadline day after posting a 6.09 ERA this season — through the largest of jams to clean up Adam Ottavino’s mess. The veteran Mets reliever after entering a 4-2 game allowed a lead-off home run to Seiya Suzuki, walked Jeimer Candelario and gave him second after three unsuccessful pickup attempts resulted in a balk, and walked Mike Tauchman without recording an out.
He needs to keep tabs on potential stray runners. With two on and Candelario at second, Alvarez nearly picked him off after making the long throw behind the runner during Ottavino’s encounter with Tauchman. Ottavino was pulled after the free pass, presenting Bickford — who had just one career save in 158 career appearances — with two on and none out.
Nick Madrigal’s sacrifice bunt moved each Cub up 90 feet before a massive strikeout of Christopher Morel delivered a second out.
“That was key,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “It kind of put the onus on them.”
But Bickford and Alvarez were not out of the woods yet after yielding a four-pitch walk to Nico Hoerner to load the bases for Chicago’s third-place hitter, Ian Happ.
The strategy was a steady diet of high heat. Bickford got ahead of Happ 0-2 before the Cubs’ left fielder fouled two more high fastballs off to stay alive. But then the Mets’ new reliever missed high for a ball and unbeknownst to him, was on the verge of awarding Happ Ball 2 as the pitch clock wound down…
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