Francisco Lindor wasn’t the only hiccup in the Mets’ offense during Friday night’s game.
Following the loss to the Reds, a potential opportunity faded as Lindor misplayed a shallow hit to right field, taking on a significant share of the blame. “I have to swing at a good pitch, first and foremost,” he reflected after the Mets fell 8-4. “I need to impact the ball better… This isn’t meeting the standards our coaches have set, nor my own. I’ve got to improve,” he added, referring to Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo.
Even though he had nine hits in the July 12 game, Lindor expressed feeling off at bat for the last month and a half.
His stats had dipped to a .283 average and .839 OPS, then plummeted to .225 with a .706 OPS since June 1.
Against Lodolo, Lindor managed to foul out, ground out to the pitcher, and then missed a chance at second base.
Near the end of the game, he soared 207 feet before the Mets loaded the bases but ultimately failed to capitalize, striking out in shallow right field for the last out.
“We just need to make things happen,” Lindor said about his recent performance.
While Lindor took responsibility for his role, the Mets struggled collectively, only managing two hits from the third to the eighth innings against Lodolo.
Juan Soto played well, with a notable 24th home run of the season, but the top four batters in the lineup combined for just one hit, with both Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso going 0-for-4.
The rising concern after the All-Star break was the team’s overdependence on Soto. He continued to shine, keeping up the momentum from his impressive June and July. But that night, the issue resurfaced.
“I thought we missed a few opportunities today,” coach Carlos Mendoza noted. “We were swinging at a lot of pitches. We had pop-ups and chases, and lately, we’ve struggled to string hits together. If you want to put it like that, we aren’t passing the baton.”
