DENVER — Carson Benge’s full toolbox is open for business.
There is plenty to like about the Mets rookie, starting with his superior outfield range and throwing arm. But lately his bat has entered the equation, giving the team a glimpse of his full skill set.
He had a second highlight-reel catch in as many games Monday, before continuing his recent offensive uptick with a home run in helping the Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. The victory was the team’s third in four games to begin the road trip.
It wasn’t a perfect day for Benge; he stumbled retreating on a fly to center in the seventh inning, giving Jordan Beck an RBI double that extended the inning. But the Mets survived it.
Benge reached base three times in Sunday’s 5-1 victory over the Angels. Included was an RBI double that placed him on base for a second time in the game before Mark Vientos homered.
Benge took a .186/.255/.278 slash line into play, underscoring his struggles over his first three weeks before beginning to emerge. Among Benge’s promising underlying numbers entering play was an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph, which placed him in MLB’s 69th percentile. Benge’s chase rate of 25.6 percent ranked in the 70th percentile. His whiff percentage of 22.7 percent placed him in the 63rd percentile.
The 23-year-old former first-round draft pick won a starting job in spring training. If there were any thoughts of optioning him to Triple-A Syracuse to work on his at-bats, those were quickly displaced by the reality that the Mets need healthy bodies.
Huascar Brazobán, utilized as an opener, pitched a scoreless first inning. Brazobán plunked Tyler Freeman, who stole second, but then got the final two outs in the inning before Austin Warren pitched a scoreless second and third.
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Warren received help from Benge, who raced into right-center and snagged Freeman’s shot for the final out in the third with Mickey Moniak on second base. A day earlier, Benge lunged full extension in right field to rob the Angels’ Vaughn Grissom of a possible ninth-inning double.
Benge walked in the third to serve as the only Mets base runner until the sixth. Francisco Alvarez hit into a double play following Benge’s walk.
Benge homered leading off the sixth for the first Mets hit. The blast was the third this season for Benge, who began the day on a 9-for-31 (.290) uptick.
“He’s swinging at better pitches and laying off pitches out of the strike zone,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the game. “We saw it [Sunday]; a couple of times he walked. That is going to help.”
But the Mets weren’t finished in the inning. Alvarez and Luis Torrens stroked consecutive doubles, extending the lead to 2-0. Juan Soto walked before Mark Vientos’ two-run single widened the lead further.
Vientos, who homered twice Sunday, hit long drives to left field for outs in his first two plate appearances on this day before hammering a line-drive single that scored the two runs.
After Benge stumbled on Beck’s fly to right-center, allowing the first Rockies run, Kyle Karros stroked an RBI single against David Peterson that sliced the Mets lead to 4-2. Peterson stifled the rally by retiring Ezequiel Tovar for the final out.
Peterson pitched four innings with two runs allowed before Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless eighth and Devin Williams earned the save in the ninth.
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