PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - With his parents in the stands, Curtis Granderson put on quite a show.
Granderson hit two home runs and Zack Wheeler pitched three scoreless innings as the New York Mets beat the Houston Astros 6-2 Tuesday.
Granderson, showing off the power that helped him get a four-year, $60 million deal as a free agent in the offseason, hit a two-run shot in the first inning and added a solo drive in the second.
Both home runs were to right field, with the second landing on the sidewalk above the grass berm.
“I hope to see 25 more of those when the bell rings,” Mets manager Terry Collins said with a smile. “Obviously, with the way he hit the ball today, I would have to say he’s seeing it pretty good at this moment.”
Eric Young Jr., playing his first game of the spring after being out with a side injury, led off the first with a walk and scored on a double by Chris Young.
Granderson then became the third Mets player in the first three home games to hit a ball well over the right-field wall.
“It’s been interesting to watch the whole team,” Granderson said. “(Lucas) Duda’s done it, (Ike) Davis has done it - there’s power here. Chris Young has been amazing in terms of his extra-base hits and all those different things.”
“As long as you get guys on base, like we were able to do in the first inning today, we have a chance to bring guys around, which we were able to do,” he said.
Travis d’Arnaud got two hits for the Mets. Jonathan Villar hit a two-run homer for the Astros.
STARTING TIME
Mets: Wheeler was impressive in his Grapefruit League debut, allowing two hits and striking out three. He threw 40 pitches.
“I was trying to attack guys and get ahead of them,” he said. “That was my plan going into the season … keep my pitch count down, get ahead of guys, so I can be able to get deeper in games.
“Getting three pitches or less - that’s sort of what I pride myself on,” he said. “That’s always been in my head and it’s definitely time to put it into place.”
Collins said Wheeler has the stuff to be dominant this season.
“He’s got to realize how good he can be,” Collins said. “There are going to be times where he can take over a game and I think he knows that. What we’ve seen so far is this guy’s really got a good feel for pitching.”
Astros: Rudy Owens struggled, getting only one out in the first inning while allowing three runs on three hits and three walks.
“It was a rough go, definitely,” he said. “It wasn’t what I planned. I have a couple things I have to work on with my mechanics, so I just need to get back to the drawing board. Not being to locate my fastball is definitely mechanical. I was missing up and away and missed over the middle and that’s when they hurt me.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: Collins said Davis (calves), Duda (hamstring) and Ruben Tejada (hamstring) would not play before Friday. Collins originally hoped to have Davis and Tejada in the lineup Tuesday.
Pitchers Jon Niese (shoulder), Bartolo Colon (calf) and Bobby Parnell (neck) will pitch in an intrasquad game on Thursday. None of the three has played in a Grapefruit League game this spring.
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