Starling Marte News: Goes yard in Thursday's loss

Marte went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Nationals.

The veteran hitter took MacKenzie Gore deep in the third inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead, but the game quickly got away from New York after that. Marte has just seven homers on the season, but three of them have come in his last seven contests, a stretch in which he's batting .375 (9-for-24). Despite that August power surge, he'll continue handling a part-time role at DH as the team tries to find playing time for Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Jeff McNeil and Ronny Mauricio in a crowded infield.