DENVER — Francisco Alvarez took full accountability for his blunder sliding into third base Saturday night.
The Mets catcher appeared to have a leadoff triple in the third inning of his team’s 10-7 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field, but upon replay review he was out.
The reason? Alvarez’s left hand came off the bag with the tag still applied to him as he began a celebratory gesture.
“That wasn’t ideal, that was on me because I celebrated too early and I got off the bag and they got me with the challenge,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “I think next time I just need to celebrate after the play is officially over.”
The Mets were behind 5-0 at the time and lost an opportunity to cut into the Rockies’ lead.
Ultimately, the Mets went ahead in the seventh inning before the bullpen allowed four runs late.
“I feel like I am to blame a bit,” said Alvarez, who blasted a three-run homer in the sixth that tied it 6-6. “I feel like had I stayed on the bag at third base we would have been able to score a run in that moment.
“After we took the lead the emotions were high — super high — and even when we went back down the emotions and the momentum still felt high and we felt that we could win the game, but it just turned out that we came up a little short.”
Elieser Hernandez, who has been on the injured list since the start of the season recovering from a shoulder strain, is scheduled to pitch Sunday for Single-A St. Lucie in his first minor league rehab appearance.
Mark Vientos returned to the Mets’ lineup as the DH and went 2-for-4.
The rookie was on the bench the previous three games.
Buck Showalter reaffirmed his plan is to start Vientos for at least three straight games, spilling over into the next homestand.
Showalter indicated it was too early to say if Vientos would be the DH for the next two games or play a corner infield position.
Showalter plans to start Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco in succession against the Phillies beginning Tuesday.
That would likely mean employing a sixth starter Sunday against the Blue Jays, allowing Senga to receive extra rest before his next start.
Senga and Carrasco were scheduled to travel back to New York on Saturday ahead of the team, giving them extra time to readjust from the altitude in Colorado.
Max Scherzer also had the option of leaving, but wanted to stay with the team.
