CHICAGO — Francisco Alvarez’s season could have easily ended in August, but here he is trying to help the Mets reach the postseason for a second straight year.

It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the 23-year-old catcher, between injuries that have twice sent him to the injured list and midseason underperformance that led to his demotion to Triple-A Syracuse .

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Now, in their most important games, the Mets are receiving the best of Alvarez, who delivered a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning on Tuesday that helped his team beat the Cubs and reclaim the lead for the National League’s third an

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