Francisco Lindor has increasingly come through in the clutch for the Mets this season.
In six straight games since May 22, the Mets shortstop has logged at least one RBI, the longest such streak of his career. In that span, he’s knocked in 14 runs, six of which came against the Giants in San Francisco on May 24, and three of which came against the Phillies at Citi Field on Saturday.
”I feel good, I’m happy. Whatever it takes to help the team win,” Lindor said after Saturday’s 8-2 rout. “I’m contributing at the right time, so I’m glad we came up with the W.”
Lindor has 37 RBI over 48 games so far this season, which is more than what he totaled after 87 games in 2021. He’s scored 18 runs and had 18 RBI in his last 14 games — a feat accomplished by only five other Mets: Howard Johnson (1991), Todd Hundley (1997), Derek Bell (2000), and Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, both in 2006. Lindor also touts an impressive 10 walks, two doubles, two triples, three home runs and two stolen bases in that 14-game span.
Lindor has the second-most RBI among all shortstops, trailing the Dodgers’ Trea Turner by one as of Sunday morning. He’s scored the most runs (36) and has garnered the most walks (24) so far among his position group. He’s also got the fifth-best OPS (.811) and has the sixth-most hits (47) among shortstops this year.
There are a number of reasons why Lindor has been clicking at the plate so well this season: his improved ability to handle the pressure of being a big star in the Big Apple, another year of experience and maturity, a team-first mindset, and discipline at the plate.
“It’s a constant battle to be selective,” Buck Showalter said when asked his thoughts of Lindor’s plate appearances of late. “But also there’s a great analytical stat that we keep, which is damage in the zone and who swings on pitches in the white part of the plate and who doesn’t. It’s revealing he’s been swinging at a lot of pitches in the white part of the plate.”
MCNEIL AND NIMMO OFF
To no one’s surprise, Brandon Nimmo was left off the starting lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Phillies.
The outfielder, who also was out Saturday, has been getting extra rest days to tend to his sprained right wrist. He received a cortisone injection on Saturday with the hopes it would help with the pain. Structurally, his wrist is fine and both he and Showalter did not anticipate a lengthy down time.
Nimmo was listed as available off the bench for Sunday’s game, as was Jeff McNeil, whom the Mets skipper pulled in the seventh inning of Saturday’s game.
Showalter said his decision on Saturday to pull McNeil, whose three-run homer in the fourth inning of that game propelled the Mets to an 8-2 victory, was because he saw an opportunity for “The Squirrel” to get some extra rest.
DISLOCATED WHAT?
Drew Smith came in in the seventh inning of the Mets’ extra-inning win over the Phillies on Sunday.
He did away with his first batter, Jean Segura, by getting him to ground out. He struck out Rhys Hoskins for the second out.
But what started as a solid outing, turned into a painful one.
J.T. Realmuto managed to single on a ground ball hit to Mark Canha in center field. But on its way there, Smith tried to make a play on it.
The result was the ball merely deflecting off Smith’s pinky, causing it to dislocate.
“I didn’t realize it right away. It just stung,” Smith said after the game, sporting a metal finger splint. “I was just walking around the mound trying to get myself some time and then I saw [Luis Guillorme] and [Francisco Lindor] walking in and then I looked down and saw it. And I looked at Lindor and was just like, ‘that looks broken’ and he said, ‘yeah, it does.’”
Smith came off the mound furious and screamed “f—” so loud it could be heard through the noise at Citi Field up to the press box.
The team’s doctor on site examined his pinky and popped it back into place. He also had an MRI, which was negative for a break, but he expects to have further testing done in the coming days.
He is considered day-to-day for now.
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