Some nights in baseball feel like nightmares you can’t wake from, even when your eyes are wide open.
Tuesday night in Atlanta was one of those for Francisco Alvarez. In a game the New York Mets had firmly in their grasp, a series of split-second decisions unraveled their hopes and left the team with their fourth straight loss.
Baseball, for all its beauty, can cut deep when the timing is wrong and the instincts are off.
Miscommunication and missed chances define late-inning collapse
With the Mets leading 4-1 in the eighth, right-hander Reed Garrett was on the verge of shutting the door. He needed just one strike.
Garrett wanted to finish the inning with a fastball, but catcher Francisco Alvarez called for a splitter. Garrett obliged.
Marcell Ozuna didn’t miss. He turned the splitter into a bases-clearing double, tying the game and stunning the Mets dugout.
Afterward, Alvarez took accountability. “It was more on me than him,” he told SNY. “He’s doing great, so I didn’t need to change anything.”
It was an honest admission and a mature one. But it didn’t make the loss sting any less.
Tenth-inning blunder seals Mets’ fate
Still tied in the tenth, the Mets found themselves with a chance to escape danger. Runners were on first and second with one out when Alvarez couldn’t block a pitch, allowing the ball to roll away.
The runner from second hesitated, caught between bases. It was a golden opportunity for a rundown or at least to freeze the runner at second.
But Alvarez threw to second base—where there was no play—allowing the runner to advance to third. A walk followed, loading the bases. Then came the game-winning sacrifice fly.
After the game, Alvarez knew he made the wrong choice. “My reaction is to second base,” he explained. “But now, after the play, I think it’s better to eat the ball.”
Struggles at the plate making things worse
Had Alvarez’s defense been an isolated incident, perhaps it wouldn’t loom so large. But his bat has been missing in action, and it’s beginning to compound the problem.
Through 33 games, the 22-year-old has just two home runs, an 88 wRC+, and a .313 slugging percentage. His once-promising power stroke looks like a distant memory.
He appears unsure of himself at the plate, and the frustration from his offensive woes may be leaking into his defensive confidence. Like a guitarist trying too hard to hit the perfect note, Alvarez’s rhythm is off in every facet of his game.
Is a reset the right move for the Mets’ young catcher?
Fans aren’t blind. They see the talent, the upside, and the passion Alvarez brings. But they also see a player spiraling.
Calls for a demotion have grown louder. Not as punishment, but as a way to breathe—mentally and physically. To find rhythm again.
The Mets may be reluctant. Alvarez remains a core piece of their long-term vision, and his leadership behind the plate is valued.
Still, the combination of poor hitting, defensive missteps, and shaky game-calling is becoming harder to ignore. There’s only so much rope a struggling team can afford to give.
Sometimes, the best way forward is a brief step back. Whether the Mets make that call or not, Francisco Alvarez is at a crossroads.
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