The series opened up in Queens on Tuesday night, with the Mets flexing their offensive muscles against their longtime foes. Two more home runs from the red-hot Pete Alonso, with Francisco Alvarez going yard twice, were part of a contest that saw New York hit five homers, leading to a convincing 13-5 victory.

Just when it looked like the Mets were finally able to produce runs, a six-run outburst over the first two innings was undone by yet another starting pitching implosion. David Peterson, the only starter in the rotation who can reliably go six innings every five days,