Down to last strike, the Mets rally on Alvarez’s homer and Canha’s triple to beat the D-backs 2-1

The Mets won their fourth in a row, but they waited until they were down to their last strike, when Alvarez homered to right field off Andrew Chafin (2-2), the fourth Arizona pitcher of the game.

Alvarez, the rookie catcher, flung his bat joyfully in the air as he neared first base and saw the ball clear the wall for his 15th homer. He leads the majors with five tying or go-ahead home runs in the sixth inning or later.

Brett Baty followed with a ground single to right and, after a mound visit, Canha tripled to the 413-foot sign in right-center to score Baty.

Kodai Senga (7-5) matched his season high with 12 strikeouts over eight innings. Christian Walker led off the seventh with a home run well over the wall in left-center to break a scoreless tie, and until two out and nobody on in the ninth, it looked as if it would be enough for the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

Senga gave up four hits, including Walker’s 18th homer, and walked one. The 30-year-old rookie from Japan threw 107 pitches in his longest outing of the season.

David Robertson retired the side in order in the ninth for his 13th save.

Senga and Tommy Henry hooked up in a pitchers’ duel for most of the night. Henry left after six innings and 87 pitches. He gave up two hits, walked four (one intentionally) and struck out two. Only one New York runner made it to third base against the lef-hander.

Henry continued his recent run of solid pitching. In his last five starts, he has an ERA of 1.48.

Senga also struck 12 in a six-inning outing against Tampa Bay on May 17.

The Mets are 24-11 when scoring first this season. When the opposition scores first, as happened on Wednesday, the Mets are 16-35.

Tommy Pham and Starling Marte executed a double steal in the fourth inning, giving New York 69 stolen bases in 76 attempts (91%). That’s the top success rate in the major leagues.

Diamondbacks: 2B Ketel Marte (back) did not start for the second straight game, but pinch hit in the eighth and grounded out to third. He stayed in to play second and fielded one ground ball cleanly in the ninth.

New York’s Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 5.94) and Arizona’s Ryne Nelson (5-4, 4.67), both right-handers, are scheduled to pitch Thursday in the series finale.

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