LOS ANGELES — Pete Alonso is binging again.
The player who carried the Mets offensively for this season’s first month before hibernating for much of May, was without a multi-homer game this season as Wednesday’s play against the Dodgers began.
Two big swings later, Alonso’s “to do” list was an item shorter.
Alonso homered twice and drove in five runs — tying him for the NL lead in RBIs — in carrying the Mets to a 6-1 victory at Dodger Stadium.
After hitting a two-run blast in the first inning, Alonso delivered the knockout punch with a three-run shot in the eighth, allowing the Mets a measure of comfort after two straight nights needing a 10th inning to decide the outcome.
The Mets, who won for the fifth time in six games, rebounded from their walkoff Tuesday loss by refusing to provide oxygen to the Dodgers.
That meant establishing a quick lead and using Griffin Canning’s right arm to stifle the Dodgers before Alonso could ice it with his rocket into the left-field seats against Ryan Loutos.
“I was just more excited to grab some insurance runs right there,” Alonso said of his 447-foot moonshot. “That’s a very high-octane offense they have got over there so those insurance runs are really big for us and give us a breather.”
Alonso’s two homers gave him three in the last four games, a stretch in which he has delivered 10 RBIs.
Overall, Alonso has 53 RBIs this season, tying him with Seiya Suzuki for the National League lead.
Rafael Devers leads MLB with 54 RBIs.
“Early in the season [Alonso] wasn’t missing pitches, he wasn’t chasing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Then he went into a stretch when they made him chase. Now he’s back to that hitter we saw at the beginning and when he’s doing that, he’s pretty dangerous.”
The Mets will go for the series victory on Thursday.
Already, they are 4-2 against the Dodgers and have won the season series.
Canning had to navigate a difficult stretch of the Dodgers lineup if he was going to complete six innings on this night.
Already, the Mets right-hander had struck out Shohei Ohtani to end the fifth.
Canning’s mission now was Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez and ideally only those three hitters.
Canning aced the test in 14 pitches, retiring the side in order.
It was the springboard the Mets needed with a tired bullpen.
Jose Castillo followed with two shutout innings before Ryne Stanek surrendered a homer to Andy Pages in the ninth.
Alonso connected in the first inning for a two-run homer against Tony Gonsolin that gave Canning a 3-0 lead before he threw a pitch.
“The offense jumping out to that early lead helps just to reinforce kind of going out there and attacking the zone,” said Canning, who allowed three hits and one walk and struck out seven.
Francisco Lindor was drilled in the foot by a pitch leading off the game and Brandon Nimmo reached on Enrique Hernandez’s fielding error, putting runners on the corners.
Nimmo stole second and Juan Soto’s ensuing grounder brought in Lindor from third.
Alonso then jumped on a first-pitch slider and cleared the fence in right-center.
Canning ended the fifth in grand style, throwing a full-count changeup that Shohei Ohtani watched for strike three.
Canning on the previous pitch threw a slider for a strike that Ohtani thought was ball four as he started to first base.
After Canning retired Betts, Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez in order in the sixth, the lefty Castillo escaped trouble in the seventh by striking out Dalton Rushing and Enrique Hernandez in succession. Castillo allowed a double to Pages and drilled Michael Conforto in the inning.
In the eighth, Nimmo was plunked and Soto walked before Alonso hit homer No. 14 this season.
Alonso was asked if he feels as locked in as he was earlier this season.
“I just feel like myself,” he said. “I have felt myself pretty much the whole year so far, pitch to pitch and AB to AB. That’s all I am trying to do. I am just trying to be the same guy every day.”
