One day after suffering a back injury, Francisco Alvarez returns to action as a pinch hitter

MILWAUKEE – Francisco Alvarez was on the bench for Saturday's game after exiting the night before with back spasms, but found his way into the game.

The catcher entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of the 6-0 loss to the Brewers and remained in the game in the bottom of the game.

A night earlier, Alvarez reached for his back as he slid into third base in the seventh inning and had to be helped by teammates as he walked from the dugout to the clubhouse, but manager Carlos Mendoza said Alvarez soon felt better.

Still, Mendoza opted to give Luis Torrens a start behind the plate on Saturday.

The Brewers were 5 of 5 in stolen base attempts against Alvarez on Friday, but Mendoza didn't want to blame his starting catcher.

“There’s a lot of noise with Alvarez, but I think it starts on the mound,” Mendoza said. “We have to give the catchers a chance here. (The Brewers) are good. Not only are they quick, but they also have information and will pick up some tips, so we have to do a good job protecting our home.”

On the night, the Brewers were 2-for-2 in stolen bases (one against Torrens and the other with Alvarez in the game).

Torrens has thrown out 13 of 26 (50 percent) of the runners who attempted to steal against him.

Mendoza named David Peterson his starting pitcher for Sunday after the game. The lefty Peterson was scheduled to pitch in Wednesday's game in Atlanta, which was postponed.

Jeff McNeil is about to begin training after suffering a broken wrist that has kept him sidelined since September 7th. The Mets' utility man has been away from the team for about a week as he awaits the birth of a child.

Sean Reid-Foley is not a candidate to pitch for the Mets at any point in the postseason. Mendoza officially announced that the right-hander has opted out for the season.

Jose Iglesias singled in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games. During his hitting streak, Iglesias went 30-of-72 (.417). It is the longest hitting streak by a Mets player since Wilson Ramos hit in 26 straight games in 2019.