Brandon Nimmo may be beginning the tough road to breaking out of a poor second half.
The outfielder, who missed Thursday’s 7-6 loss to the Athletics because of an illness, went 2-for-5 for his first outing since July and hit a three-run homer in the Mets’ 7-3 blowout win over the Marlins on Friday in the series opener at Citi Field.
But he is not shy about admitting that he’s not out of the woods yet.
“No,” Nimmo said after the win when asked if his performance had lightened a burden for him. “No, nobody cares about tomorrow, so I’ve got to go out tomorrow and try to win, but it’s a good step in the right direction and I’m going to keep working hard.”
Nimmo, who said he’s not yet 100 percent, has struggled since the league’s All-Star break in July and hasn’t looked like the hitter who could lead the Mets to a playoff berth like he once did.
In the first half of the season, Nimmo recorded 16 home runs, 63 RBI and an OPS of .815.
Through Friday, the ninth-year Mets player had 12 hits in 86 at-bats since the hiatus, with 30 strikeouts and a .444 OPS.
“Yeah, I’ve been very open about it, you know, I haven’t been feeling great,” Nimmo said of his struggles and discomfort at the plate. “Obviously, the worse you are, the more uncomfortable you feel. But today was a step in the right direction. We’re just working every day to get better and to get better at the game and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Friday night’s home run was his first in 27 games since July 10.
With one out and a runner on second base in the bottom of the fourth, Nimmo contributed to a thriving offense that had already scored three runs on a two-run homer by Jeff McNeil and a triple by Francisco Lindor.
He launched his first pitch, an 81.2 mph slider into the upper right corner (390 feet), sending Lindor and Mark Vientos home to extend the Mets’ lead to 7-2.
He also started his night by advancing to second base on a double-base error after Marlins pitcher Rodelly Munoz threw the ball too far to first base.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday he’s noticed an improvement in Nimmo’s swing and that his rhythm and timing seem better.
“He knows the strike zone better than anybody and he can do damage so he’s going to be able to get in position to make some really good swing decisions,” Mendoza said. “He had some rhythm, he had some good timing and his bat was going through the hitting zone today, which was different than normal so that was good to see.”
