‘What we envisioned’: Mets’ stars align for 10-run outburst

NEW YORK — For all their work to improve at the margins, as evidenced by a flurry of roster moves on Friday morning, what the Mets have needed more than anything has been production from their stars.

Entering Friday’s play, Francisco Lindor (.687), Pete Alonso (.771) and Jeff McNeil (.618) sported the lowest OPS figures of their careers. Brandon Nimmo (.721) hadn’t had a lower one since his cup of coffee as a rookie. With the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, J.D. Martinez (.762) hadn’t posted an OPS this low since ‘13, the year the Astros cut him. From each and every one of them, the Mets needed more.

They’re starting to get it. Lindor extended his hitting streak to 10 games, Martinez homered for a second straight contest, Alonso doubled home a run, Nimmo scored twice and Starling Marte collected two hits and four RBIs in a 10-9 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday night at Citi Field. It was the Mets’ second-best offensive output of the season (16 runs at Atlanta on April 11), allowing them to win despite an imperfect performance from starter Luis Severino and some continued bullpen issues.

“Everyone is starting to catch their rhythm,” Marte said through an interpreter when asked about the offense.

Added manager Carlos Mendoza: “At some point, this was what we expected, what we envisioned. … We know what we’re capable of. We’ve got a lot of good players here, a lot of good hitters, and we’re seeing some really good signs right now.”

Here’s a closer look at some of the work that led to it.

Now leading off …
When Mendoza moved him into the leadoff spot on May 18, Lindor was in a 1-for-21 funk that had dragged his average down to .195. He went 0-for-5 that day to fall even lower, but that turned out to be his nadir. In the dozen games since that time, leading off every day, Lindor has batted .365/.411/.577 with seven extra-base hits. He went 4-for-4 in Thursday’s victory (the night after he personally called a players-only meeting to address the team’s processes), and followed it up with a two-hit performance Friday.

Asked if he has changed anything at all in his approach since moving to leadoff, Lindor quipped: “I have to rush to get to the box.”

In other words, no, not really.

“Maybe his routine might be a little bit different,” Mendoza said, “but other than that, his at-bats are great.”

Of course, Lindor batting leadoff means someone else must shift lower in the lineup. That someone, Nimmo, has enjoyed adapting to the three-hole. While he hasn’t thrived there the same way Lindor has up top, Nimmo says he’s learned plenty from watching Lindor and Alonso attack pitchers early in games — much as those two used to watch him. Friday, Nimmo produced his first multihit game as New York’s third hitter this year, finishing 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.

Iron man
Only two players have appeared in all 57 of the Mets’ games this season. The first is Lindor, who takes significant pride in that sort of thing. (One of his best games came earlier this month, when he stayed out of the starting lineup due to illness, entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and finished with a pair of two-run doubles.)

The other is Alonso, despite his departing Wednesday’s game after taking a 93 mph fastball off his right hand. The slugger came away with no broken bones and felt well enough to stroke a pinch-hit double the following night. Friday, he was back in the starting lineup, where he made his only hit count: an RBI double in the fourth that keyed a three-run inning.

Among Mets stars, Alonso — despite an overall downtick in production — has been the most consistent. He produced a .773 OPS with 10 extra-base hits in April and a .732 OPS with 14 extra-base hits in May.

Just Dingers? It’s getting there
Each afternoon, Martinez brings a tripod and camera to the batting cage, using it to film his mechanics and make sure nothing is awry. But early in his Mets tenure, something was indeed awry. Martinez, who has made a career of hitting the ball in the air, simply wasn’t doing that enough for his liking.

So Martinez made a mechanic tweak to stop “dumping” his barrel, or keeping it lagging behind his shoulder as he transitions from setup to swing. He’s hit the ball in the air on four of his last five balls in play, with two of those going over the fence.

“Hitting the ball in the air is good for me,” Martinez said. “Shooting low liners and rolling balls over and ground balls is really not my thing. I’m just happy when I’m hitting it, it’s going up in the air.”