LONDON — Jeff McNeill flipped through the TV channels in his hotel room, watching more cricket matches than he expected to watch before the Met’s arrival in England last week.
The Mets second baseman was caught.
“My wife and I have both gotten into it. I think I’d be a great cricketer,” McNeill said after the Mets’ 6-5 win over the Phillies in the London series on Sunday. “You can hit anything, the ball bounces, you can hit it anywhere, so I think it’s a lot of fun.”
McNeil had been benched for four straight games (all against left-handed pitchers) before returning to pitch well, going 2-for-4 and singled as the Mets scored three runs in the ninth inning against Jose Alvarado. All of McNeil’s hits came against left-handed pitchers.
“It’s really good to be back,” McNeill said.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said he enjoyed participating in the London Series, but also hopes the format will be an adjustment.
“I feel like I had too much time off,” Lindor said, referring to Friday’s practice being an off day. “I know there’s a process where you have to sell the game and stuff, but for me, I think it’s beneficial to go out there and play the next day.”
Lindor likened the atmosphere of the event to an All-Star Game because of the downtime.
“But during the regular season, games matter,” Lindor said. “So, if it was up to me, I would say fine, let’s get some experience. [had] It was a great experience, but the next day I just had to show up and get the job done.”
Francisco Alvarez appeared in a rehab game for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday after returning from Venezuela for family reasons.
Alvarez’s early return to New York means he could return from injured reserve as scheduled on Tuesday, a possibility that manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t rule out.
Alvarez has been on the disabled list since undergoing surgery in late April to repair a torn thumb ligament.
Edwin Diaz pitched one scoreless inning in a rehab appearance for Brooklyn and could return to the Mets for Tuesday’s game against the Marlins at Citi Field.
The right-hander has missed the past two weeks with a shoulder injury.
Starling Marte was removed from the starting lineup after losing a fly ball to right field on Saturday.
But Mendoza said the decision was made before the series began to use Marte for just one game, given the condition of the turf and its effect on Marte’s foot.
