PHILADELPHIA — Luis Ángel Acuña jogged onto base as a shortstop in the bottom of the second inning Sunday, sounding the alarm that had been sounded a day earlier when Francisco Lindor missed his first game of the season.
Lindor had been determined to get in the starting lineup, but it was clear his back was still sore early in the game when he singled to left field and then ran slowly to first base, and in the bottom of the first inning, Lindor threw a high ball to first on a grounder by Trea Turner, another sign that something was wrong.
In case any explanation was needed after Lindor's exit, Mets officials said the shortstop left the game because of back soreness. Lindor later said he would have an MRI on Monday before the Mets open their home series against the Nationals and Phillies. The Phillies won the series finale at Citizens Bank Park, 2-1, on a walk-off hit by JT Realmuto in the ninth inning against Edwin Diaz.
So the question has once again arisen of when the Mets' MVP-candidate shortstop will return. You're forgiven for feeling sorry for the Mets as they try to secure a National League Wild Card spot, with the Most Valuable Player's status on the line. But now is not the time to cry.
Lindor can either play or he can't, and the Mets will have to adjust accordingly.
“It's a delicate balance when guys are playing through injuries all the time,” Pete Alonso said, “but there's a difference between playing through injuries and playing through injuries. If you play through injuries, you can hang in there and still put in some respectable performances every now and then. Playing through injuries is not good. It's not sustainable.”
Lindor does appear to be hurt, but if the MRI scan turns out differently, the shortstop could be back with a few days of rest. If there's one part of the schedule where the Mets won't miss him that much, it's the next three games against the Nationals. But after that, it gets real again for the Mets.
Do you think there is anyone out there who doesn't have ill feelings towards the Mets?
Braves.
The Braves, minus Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies, entered the day tied with the Mets for the third wild card spot in the National League. With three games remaining against the Mets in Atlanta next week, the Braves' game against the Mets could determine which team plays in October baseball.
Regardless of Lindor's status, the Mets' season will go on, but it will take more than just the team's performance over the past two days to have champagne celebrations before the regular season ends.
Lindor isn't the entire team, but that seems to be the case, especially with players like Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez not performing. On Sunday, that group combined for three singles and the Mets' only run came on a home run by Tyrone Taylor in the eighth inning.
“when [Lindor] “You know what, he's not in the lineup,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, “but we still have a good lineup and a lot of good players. They're going to step up, and we've done that all year offensively, defensively, pitching. I'm confident that even though he's not in the lineup, it's going to be the same this time.”
Martinez, who had nearly hit two balls out of the park after blocking a Cal Stevenson home run over the center field fence the day before, had no luck, batting just .190 in that span, a tough 30-or-so games for the veteran designated hitter.
Nimmo hit a three-run homer on Friday, but expectations that he's back on track may be premature. Alonso hit a home run off fielder Cody Clemens during a run on Friday but was otherwise unremarkable during the series.
It's one thing to try to win without Lindor and with your other best players performing at a respectable level, but it's an entirely different story when there's no one to fill the void.
The Mets will be hoping that Lindor's MRI on his back comes back positive, but either way, there are 13 games remaining and postseason status is up in the air.
If you need inspiration, look no further than your rival, the Braves.
