Blackburn cruises through 6 strong innings in Mets debut 

ANAHEIM -- Paul Blackburn may have been in a different uniform, but the conditions were familiar. Just a week ago, as a member of the A’s, he was making a start at Angel Stadium. Friday night, he was making his next start at Angel Stadium -- only now in Mets threads.

Having swapped green and gold for orange and blue, Tuesday’s Trade Deadline pickup lasted six innings (82 pitches) in his New York debut, limiting the Angels to one run on six hits and two walks while striking out six.

For a rotation in need of stability at the back end, Blackburn’s solid outing was a welcomed sight. As was at least one hit from every member of the lineup, three by Brandon Nimmo, a Pete Alonso two-run blast, an RBI by Francisco Alvarez and strong defense up the middle -- all of which contributed to a 5-1 win to begin the Mets’ 10-day road trip.

Blackburn’s strong first impression came mere hours after meeting his new club with little more than a “hello” from his manager.

“I came in, saw him, shook his hand and said ‘Go be yourself big boy,’” Carlos Mendoza said.

Blackburn made adjustments from his July 26 outing in Anaheim based on the Angels lineup -- utilizing more changeups against right-handers and cutters against lefties. The result was mostly weak contact and only one instance of over 100 mile per hour exit velocity.

“I worked a little more in and out than I did last week,” he said. “I got burnt on my four-seamer a couple times [before].”

Another benefit was who was behind the plate, and Blackburn had rave reviews for his rapport with Alvarez on short notice.

“Unbelievable,” Blackburn said. “It couldn’t have been better. The preparation on his end. The constant communication between innings. It was fun to watch.”

“The first thing he told me is ‘I want to win,’” Alvarez said. “I said ‘All right, let’s do it.’”

Blackburn’s penchant for pitching to contact and inducing ground balls was rewarded on multiple occasions, especially when Francisco Lindor and Jose Iglesias teamed up on a pair of slick 6-4-3 double plays -- in the first and the fifth -- to get out of potential trouble.

It didn’t go as well for Blackburn in the second, when Jo Adell’s broken bat grounder to third base eluded Mark Vientos and found its way into left field, allowing Mickey Moniak to score. Alvarez threw out Adell trying to steal second and a called strike three to Luis Guillorme allowed Blackburn to escape with just the one run.

“The fact that he knows that lineup really well certainly helps,” Mendoza said. “They went out there and executed the plan and it was good to see [he and Alvarez] on the same page.”

The most significant boost of run support came from Alonso, who took Anderson’s first offering in the third and pulled it a projected 421 feet at 113.8 miles per hour. It was his third homer and sixth RBI over the past five games.

“I felt pretty good at the dish for a long time now,” Alonso said. “I’m happy the line drives are starting to carry over the fence.”

An inning earlier, Iglesias led off with a double and came around on a single by Alvarez, who was coming off a July in which he had a .577 OPS with six RBIs.

The sixth inning showed what putting the ball in play could lead to. A pair of softly-struck singles -- the first to center field by Harrison Bader and the other a successful bunt by Francisco Lindor -- preceded J.D. Martinez going the other way past first baseman Nolan Schanuel for his 48th RBI. Zach Neto botched a Vientos grounder which allowed the Mets to tack on.

José Buttó took the baton from Blackburn and continued excelling in his relief role -- retiring all six men he faced and fanning three -- while Phil Maton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

With the 24th-ranked rotation in terms of ERA, the Mets’ intent of acquiring Blackburn from Oakland, and optioning Tylor Megill to Triple-A, was to shore up a rotation that has seen injuries to Kodai Senga and Christian Scott. Friday’s performance by the 30-year-old right-hander is an indication of what they were hoping for as they maintain pace in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

“[He’s] an All-Star for a reason,” Alonso said. “Anytime he takes the ball, you have a really good chance to win. We’re very much appreciative of today.”