Behind newcomer Foster Griffin, Guardians aim to salvage finale vs. Mets

Almost nothing has gone right for Jorge Polanco in his first season since signing as a free agent with the New York Mets. His approach and attitude, however, haven't changed.

The 33-year-old designated hitter finally reaped some rewards from his hard work in New York's ongoing series against the Guardians. The Mets will attempt to sweep the three-game set on Thursday in Cleveland.

Polanco snapped an 0-for-26 slump with a solo homer in the third inning on Wednesday. He later doubled off All-Star closer Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth as the Mets rallied for a 6-5, 10-inning win over the struggling Guardians.

"I'm happy for him, he's worked hard," Mets interim manager Andy Green said. "He had a good day, and that at-bat in the ninth was unbelievable. That's as live of a fastball as you'll ever see (from Smith), and he managed to recover from a tough first swing.

"The homer was great. He had good at-bats all day. Happy for him."

Polanco went deep against Tanner Bibee, sending the ball 380 feet over the fence in right. It was his first hit since July 20, a slump that saw his average drop to .131. The clutch double off Smith upped the mark to .144.

Green predicted the breakout performance before the first pitch, noting to reporters that Polanco had taken 300 swings upon arriving at the ballpark.

"I took a lot of swings and we got a good result today," Polanco said. "I was working on my timing, trying to work on being simple. Don't try to be too quick. All that stuff that we've been working on."

Polanco will look to build on that performance Thursday afternoon when Mets right-hander Nolan McLean (7-7, 3.29 ERA) takes on Guardians left-hander Foster Griffin (12-3, 3.06).

McLean continues to come into his own in his second major league season, posting a 1.49 ERA with 42 strikeouts and a 3-2 record over his past six starts. He has yet to face Cleveland.

The Guardians are deep in a two-month swoon that has seen them match their low mark of one game under .500, but they remain tied for the final American League wild-card position with the Texas Rangers. Cleveland is 21-31 since June 4.

Elite Guardians prospect Angel Genao became the first player in franchise history -- and the 22nd in the majors' modern era -- to collect four hits in his major league debut, also driving in a run Wednesday just hours after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

"It was more than I could ever imagine," said the 22-year-old, who had four singles and a flyout in five plate appearances. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to have this. I just tried to enjoy the game and enjoy every at-bat."

Symbolic of the team's luck of late, Genao made a double error on the first ball hit to him at third base. Cleveland committed three miscues in the crushing loss, including shortstop Brayan Rocchio's fumble on what should have been a game-ending grounder in the ninth.

National League All-Star Griffin also is new to the Guardians, coming over from the Washington Nationals as part of a busy trade deadline for the two-time defending AL Central champions.

"We were aggressive in the starting pitcher market, and Foster has been one of the best in baseball this year," Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "He's been really consistent and productive since the start of this season."

Griffin won eight straight decisions for Washington before being rocked for six runs in 5 1/3 innings during a road loss to the Atlanta Braves on July 31. His lone career game against the Mets was a road win on May 19, 2026, when he gave up five runs in five innings.

--Field Level Media