# Orioles power past Mets with three-homer barrage

> Baltimore sweeps New York behind homers from Alonso, Jackson, and Encarnacion-Strand, keeping playoff hopes alive with nine games left.
- Title: Orioles power past Mets with three-homer barrage · The Banner
- Summary: Baltimore sweeps New York behind homers from Alonso, Jackson, and Encarnacion-Strand, keeping playoff hopes alive with nine games left. The Orioles'…
- Keywords: baltimore orioles, new york mets, pete alonso, jeremiah jackson, christian encarnacion-strand, home runs, mlb, wild card race, chris bassitt, citi field, september 2026, news
- Source: The Banner — https://thebanner.com/sports/orioles-mlb/orioles-mets-home-runs-pete-alonso-jeremiah-jackson-christian-encarnacion-strand-HJU2D6KSUFEW3IT3PU3QTYSUYE
- Author: Andy Kostka
- Published: 2026-09-17T02:03:11.934+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: baltimore orioles, new york mets, pete alonso, jeremiah jackson, christian encarnacion-strand, home runs, mlb, wild card race, chris bassitt, citi field, september 2026, news
## Three Orioles homer in back-to-back games
Pete Alonso, Jeremiah Jackson, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all went deep in consecutive games for the first time since August 2016, when Chris Davis, Manny Machado, and Mark Trumbo did it.
## Alonso leads the charge at Citi Field
The Orioles slugger hit his 301st career home run in the first inning against Mets right-hander Xzavion Curry, setting the tone for Baltimore's 7-1 victory.
## Jackson and Encarnacion-Strand add two-run shots
Jackson connected in the second inning while Encarnacion-Strand went deep in the third, with Samuel Basallo adding a solo shot to build a commanding lead.
## Orioles sweep Mets in series finale
The three-game sweep in New York keeps Baltimore's playoff hopes alive, though the team sits at 75-78 with only nine games remaining.
## Playoff odds remain bleak at 3 percent
The Orioles trail the final wild-card spot by 2.5 games and must jump three teams in nine games. They hold the tiebreaker over the White Sox but trail the Blue Jays and Rangers.
## Alonso preaches one-game-at-a-time approach
The Orioles star emphasized focusing on winning each night rather than looking ahead, saying the team cannot afford to get distracted by playoff odds.

> You can't look too far ahead, especially where we're at right now.
## Bassitt dominates in return from surgery
The 37-year-old right-hander pitched 6 and two-thirds innings with just one run allowed, tying his season high. He has a 3.76 ERA in his last seven starts since returning from back surgery.
## Encarnacion-Strand shines since July arrival
The young outfielder recorded his first three-extra-base-hit game of the season, raising his OPS to .846 in 51 games since joining the Orioles from the minors.
## Alonso leads AL with 102 RBIs
The Orioles star has 37 home runs and 102 RBIs through 153 games, the most RBIs by an Orioles player in that span since Jonathan Schoop had 105 in 2017.
## Bassitt calls Alonso a top-three AL hitter
The pitcher praised his teammate's offensive abilities, saying Alonso deserves more respect and ranks among the American League's elite hitters.

> I think he's a top-three hitter, for sure, in the American League.
## Manager tells team to ignore playoff odds
Craig Albernaz instructed his players to focus on winning each day rather than looking at standings or playoff probabilities as Baltimore faces a nine-game sprint.

> You can't look at the standings.
## Orioles must sustain offensive firepower
With meaningful games remaining down the stretch, Baltimore needs to maintain this level of performance over the final nine games to have any realistic chance at the playoffs.
## Key takeaway

The Orioles' offensive firepower kept them alive in a long-shot playoff race, but they need to sustain this level of performance over their final nine games.