Francisco Lindor isn’t himself at the plate right now.
Mired in a career-worst 0-for-30 hitless streak, the Mets shortstop has been expanding the strike zone and striking out at unusually high rates by his typical standards.
But Lindor remains himself in the dugout and in the clubhouse, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
“He’s so steady. It doesn’t matter whether he’s going 4-for-4, hitting walk-off homers, he’s going to be the same guy no matter what. It’s all about winning for him,” Mendoza said after Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field.
“It’s how he engages on defense, with teammates, the conversations in the dugout, helping the younger guys, too, whether it’s approach, what he’s seeing from the pitchers. He’s pretty steady, and I haven’t seen any sign of any frustration.”
Before Tuesday, when he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, Lindor had never gone through a hitless drought longer than the 0-for-27 slide he experienced in 2016 as a second-year player with Cleveland.
Tuesday marked Lindor’s sixth consecutive hitless game, a stretch in which he struck out in 28.6% of his at-bats and swung at 35.3% of pitches out of the zone, according to FanGraphs.
Those numbers were up from Lindor’s 17.4% strikeout percentage and 32.9% swing rate at pitches out of the zone through his first 94 games.
“[He is] chasing at times from the left side,” Mendoza said of the switch-hitter before Tuesday’s game. “A little long with his swing. … When he’s at his best, he’s short [and] he’s using the whole field.”
Lindor batted .279 with 14 home runs and a .843 OPS through June 4, which is the day he suffered a broken right pinky toe on a hit-by-pitch.
The 31-year-old has continued to play, but Lindor entered Tuesday hitting .191 with five homers and a .585 OPS in 39 games since the injury.
Asked if the foot was to blame for Lindor’s struggles, Mendoza said, “You’ll ask him, and he’s gonna say no.”
“It’s hard for me to say, because he’s the one feeling it,” Mendoza said. “But every time we check on him, he’s like, ‘I’m fine.’ He’s not going to make excuses.”
Overall, Lindor — a five-time All-Star who started for the National League in last week’s All-Star Game — was hitting .245 with 19 home runs and a .744 OPS to begin play Wednesday.
The longest hitless streak in Mets history occurred in 1997, when shortstop Rey Ordóñez went 0-for-37.
“The one thing with [Lindor], he’s too smart,” Mendoza said. “He’s always watching film. He’s always talking to the hitting coaches. Yesterday, he was out there hitting early. He did it again today. It’s not the first time. It’s not going to be the last time, and he’ll get through it.”
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