Francisco Lindor is back in the leadoff spot for the Mets on Wednesday afternoon as they try to salvage a series against the Cleveland Guardians and stop yet another slump, with Juan Soto batting second, Pete Alonso third and Brandon Nimmo in the cleanup spot. The move was made to try to get the team back to playing like they did earlier in the season when they were the best team in the league.
It’s tough to know exactly who the Mets are right now and if they have a realistic shot at another deep playoff run in the midst of a wildly streaky season. They’ve lost seven of their last eight games after reeling off seven straight wins. It’s either a world-beating team or a self-defeating team, and there hasn’t been much in between since early June.
“We’ve still got a good team,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday at Citi Field. “You’re going to go through stretches where it’s not easy. We’ve just got to put it together as a team as a whole, we’ve got to start playing complete games offensively, defensively [and] baserunning. We haven’t been able to do that for six weeks or so, but again, we’ve got good players and we’ll turn it around.”
On paper, the Mets look like one of the strongest teams in the NL, but the execution has been less than expected. The big four at the top of the order, Lindor, Nimmo, Alonso and Soto, have slumped at the same time, and the starting pitching staff has been unable to provide length.
The Mets are having trouble pinpointing what, exactly, is holding them back.
“I think it’s a little bit of everything,” Mendoza said. “Whether it’s starting pitching, whether it’s the offense not getting the timely hit, not making a big play defensively — we just haven’t been able to put everything together.”
Starting pitching often sets the tone. When the Mets have been able to get efficient outings by starters, their hesitation to let starters face the order the third time has disrupted that tone at times. Or, the starters give up leads early, and the hitters are unable to make up ground.
The situation has been exacerbated by injuries to right-handers Kodai Senga and Griffin Canning. Senga returned from a hamstring strain shortly before the All-Star break on a pitch-count, while Canning was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon in June. Left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Frankie Montas have each made a few starts now with mixed results.
“That’s part of it,” Mendoza said. “Since June 12 when [Senga went down, then we lost Griffin, and we’ve been trying to piece it together. For the past three weeks, Manaea and senga and even Montas when he first got back, we were kind of like building them back up at this level while you’re trying to win baseball games. But I feel like right now they’re in a good place. We’re going to need them, and we’re counting on them.”
Senga will start the weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Montas likely be used as the bulk guy behind an opener Saturday, followed by Manaea on Sunday. The Brewers currently own the best record in baseball at 69-44.
BASEBALL IS THE BEST
The Mets honored rSarah Langs on Wednesday ahead of the series finale against the Guardians. Team owner and foundation president Alex Cohen awarded Langs with the Amazin’ Mets Foundation’s Legacy Award for her work in raising awareness for ALS research and funding.
The Amazin’ Mets Foundation Legacy Award celebrates people and organizations throughout baseball who are driving change and making a difference in the sport on and off the field. Langs, a writer and researcher for MLB.com and a lifelong Mets fan, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. She launched the #FistBumps4ALS campaign to raise money for research for the neurodegenerative disease.
Since 2021, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation has awarded more than $17 million in grant money to over 200 organizations.
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