MILWAUKEE — In September, J.D. Martinez and Jesse Winker combined for nine hits (.093), one home run, two doubles, eight RBIs, and 25 strikeouts in 97 at-bats.
The duo went 2-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs in October.
The Mets' primary designated hitter flipped a switch the moment the calendar flipped, rose to his feet and scored in the club's 8-4 series-opening win over the Brewers at a silent American Family Field on Tuesday night. I typed in half of it.
The biggest hole for the Mets in the final month of the season was ironic. Players who used to just hit the ball stopped hitting it.
Martinez looked every bit 37 years old, but he fell into a funk with zero hits in 36 games.
Winker, a trade deadline addition who had an excellent performance in August, faded at the wrong time.
The Mets had nowhere else to turn. You have no choice but to trust the track record instead of the meager 30 days.
Coach Carlos Mendoza remained optimistic that Martinez, in particular, would recover from his stroke.
Perhaps the location has finally been identified.
The left-handed Winker immediately made his presence felt when he started against opposing right-handed Freddy Peralta, and was quickly disliked by the home crowd.
In the bottom of the second inning, with the Mets leading by two runs, Brewer's Winker, who played in 61 games in 2023, stepped up to the plate with two runners on his back, prompting boos from the crowd.
He struggled, forced a full count, and hit a changeup that missed the at-bat too much into the right-field corner.
He tied the game and advanced to third base because he wanted a triple and probably because he wanted his voice to be heard in the dugout.
He yelled at his celebrating teammates and shortly thereafter exchanged seemingly unhappy words with Brewers shortstop Willie Adams.
Winker had one more at-bat and received even more jeers when he grounded out in the fourth inning, but passed the baton to the assistant DH.
Martinez didn't make the same hissing noise, but he did help quiet the crowd.
The Mets were playing well, already scoring three runs in the fifth inning.
Mendoza faced left-handed pitcher Aaron Ashby with two outs and the bases loaded.
Midway through the game, he pulled the blinker for the right-handed Martinez, but the move wasn't very good as Martinez fell behind 0-2.
But perhaps the most professional hitter in baseball fought back, sending his sixth pitch, a curveball, over the right side of the infield and scoring two more runs for an 8-4 lead.
The Mets are one win away from the NLDS and could potentially get two more at-bats than they played last month.
