Torrens smashes 1st (and 2nd!) HRs to guide Mets to sweep

WASHINGTON — Tuesday’s game against the Nationals had only just ended, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was plenty aware of what had happened in Brooklyn. That evening, rehabbing catcher Francisco Alvarez caught a combined no-hitter for the High-A Cyclones, adding an exclamation point to what was already a successful rehabilitation from left thumb surgery.

Although Alvarez won’t join the Mets in the London Series this weekend, his return from the injured list could happen quickly after that. When it does, the Mets will need to make a difficult roster decision, choosing between Tomás Nido and Luis Torrens as Alvarez’s primary backup — possibly for the rest of the season.

Nido, who has been in the Mets’ organization for a dozen years, was the obvious choice until less than a week ago, when the Mets designated Omar Narváez for assignment and swung a deal for Torrens, a 28-year-old veteran with mixed success over six years in the Majors. Both have since stated their cases, but never as emphatically as Torrens did on Wednesday, hitting his first two home runs of the season in a 9-1 drubbing of the Nationals.

Torrens also caught a strong start from Luis Severino, who delivered eight stellar innings of one-run ball at Nationals Park to secure a series sweep. The Mets have won three games in a row for the first time since April 14-20.