If there was a shiny spot for the Mets on this week’s back-to-back blown-lead losses to the Atlanta Braves, it was Francisco Lindor.
The shortstop confirmed indicators of breaking out, going a mixed 5-for-7 with a house run, two walks, 4 runs and a stolen base in Wednesday and Thursday’s video games at Citi Discipline.
“I’m getting the barrel to the baseball,” Lindor mentioned after Thursday’s 4-3 defeat. “It’s obvious, but it’s the reality.”
Thursday’s 3-for-4 efficiency capped a three-game sequence wherein Lindor completed 6-for-11 and scored 5 instances.
He went hitless within the 5 video games earlier than these, persevering with what’s been an uneven season for final yr’s Nationwide League MVP runner-up.
Lindor’s total numbers — 22 dwelling runs, 65 RBI and 19 steals going into Friday — are robust, and he was the NL’s beginning shortstop in final month’s All-Star Recreation.
However Lindor entered Friday night time’s sequence opener towards the Seattle Mariners in Queens with a .214 common, eight dwelling runs and a .652 OPS within the 59 video games since June 4, which was the day he suffered a damaged proper pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch.
Within the 60 video games earlier than then, Lindor batted .284 with 14 dwelling runs and an .854 OPS.
“I have guys like [Eric] Chavez, Jeremy [Barnes], Rafa [Fernandez], talking to me on a daily basis,” Lindor mentioned, referring to 3 of the Mets’ coaches. “There’s a lot of people in the hitting group that are fighting for me and want it for me. I’m on an up right now. I’ll try to ride that wave as long as I can and stay true to myself.”
Lindor, 31, has continued to play because the toe damage, sitting out of solely two video games all season, and he’s by no means used it as an excuse.
Regardless of a latest 0-for-21 skid — which he snapped with a bunt single in Tuesday’s 13-5 win over Atlanta — Lindor entered Friday hitting .283 with an .878 OPS in August. These represented his finest numbers in a month since April.
“He’s always making adjustments,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned after Thursday’s loss, which was the Mets’ thirteenth out of 15 video games. “This is a guy that works as hard as anybody, and every day he’s out there hitting early, and he’s in the cages. They’re always tinkering with their swings. I think he’s just getting the feel for it.”
Wednesday and Thursday marked Lindor’s first back-to-back multi-hit video games since July 23-25.
Mendoza was inspired by Lindor’s method on Thursday, when the switch-hitter drilled a 409-foot homer towards right-hander Bryce Elder to right-center; struck a single to left area towards Elder; and added an infield hit from the fitting aspect towards lefty reliever Dylan Lee.
Lindor additionally stole second base, superior to 3rd on a throwing error by catcher Drake Baldwin and scored on Brandon Nimmo’s sacrifice fly to spark a two-run rally within the sixth inning.
“When he’s at his best, it’s kind of what we saw [on Thursday],” Mendoza mentioned. “Pull-side with authority, and then he hits a line drive the other way. The takes. He’s walking. That’s very positive right there, Lindor showing signs now. That’s gonna be important for us.”
