Carson Benge has had a bit of a rough start to his big league career.
The young slugger put together a much-needed big night at the plate on Thursday, though, helping the Mets pick up their second straight win over the Twins.
Benge opened his showing jumping on a first pitch Joe Ryan fastball up in the zone, ripping it 95 mph off the right-center fence for a one out double.
He came around to score a few batters later on a sacrifice fly.
The lefty did even more damage against Ryan his next time up, this time leading off the fourth by lifting a second-pitch splitter 388 feet over the right field fence.
This one left the bat at a whopping 105.7 mph.
Benge struck out in his next plate appearance, then Tommy Pham pinch-hit for him when a lefty was brought in to the game with two on in the bottom of the eighth.
Pham, of course, drew a walk and then Bo Bichette delivered his first big knock as a Met with a go-ahead bases-clearing double into the left-center gap.
The 23-year-old finished 2-for-3, with the knocks being his second double and second homer of the season.
“He was just getting the barrel though the hitting zone and hitting balls to the pull-side,” Carlos Mendoza said. “The first off the wall and then the homer, overall I think it’s just shorter and more direct to the ball.”
Benge is still hitting just .159 on the season, but it was encouraging to see him show off some of that pull-side pop.
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