The Mets are proud of their lineup depth, which has been hot and cold this season and which was frigid Thursday afternoon. Nos. 5-9 in the order went 2-for-18 with a walk and six strikeouts.
It did not matter, in part because of their pitching and in part because the group Steve Cohen once called the “Fab Four” provided all the offense the Mets would need.
Francisco Lindor made things happen with his legs, Juan Soto furthered what has become a historic season, Pete Alonso has caught fire at the right time and Brandon Nimmo contributed the biggest hit in the 6-1 victory over the Padres at Citi Field, where the Mets’ first four hitters knocked in every run.
There are nine games left in a season with a playoff spot still very much in question. If the club’s best bats are going to take off, the club hopes it can happen now.
“You always want to play your best baseball at the end of the year,” Alonso said. “If we can continue to do that — it’s not about how you start, it’s not about how things happen in the middle, it’s about how you finish.”
Alonso started the party with a first-inning bomb to center off Randy Vásquez, his 37th of the season and fourth in as many games. Add in a sacrifice fly in the seventh and his 121 RBIs are the second most in the majors.
The Mets have seen these kinds of streaks from Alonso over the years and this year. He was maybe the best offensive player in the sport in April (1.132 OPS) and yet sliced that in half (.548 OPS) in July.
“He goes on these streaks where he just mashes the ball, and then people won’t pitch to him anymore,” Nimmo said of his longtime teammate. “And then he goes through a streak where he maybe stays quiet, but it’s not because he’s not doing it, it’s because they won’t pitch to him. And then they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll try it out again.’ And he just mashes balls again.
“It’s fun to be Polar Pete.”
If Alonso’s swing provided hope, Nimmo’s provided relief. The Mets manufactured a go-ahead run in the third and were ahead, 2-1, when Nimmo stepped to the plate with two on base and Padres manager Mike Shildt stepped to the mound, lifting Vásquez for former reliable Yankees lefty Wandy Peralta, who is notoriously difficult on opposing lefty hitters.
Two foul balls dug a hole. Nimmo laid off a diving changeup before getting a changeup in the zone on the inside of the plate.
“Just trying to get a job done. Trying to find a barrel to a ball,” said Nimmo, who barreled that changeup for a three-run shot to right that added a cushion that wouldn’t be threatened. “You miss all the shots that you don’t take.”
The contributions from Lindor were subtler: He reached base twice, including a knock through the right side preceding Nimmo’s home run. Cedric Mullins went from first to third, and Lindor — intent on willing his way to make an impact — aggressively advanced to second base when Fernando Tatis Jr.’s throw went to third.
“He sets the tone. He sets the table for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Lindor, who then moved to third on an RBI groundout from Soto.
These days, Soto seems capable of doing anything with the bat. When the Mets simply needed contact, he delivered for his 100th RBI. In the fifth inning, he smashed a double to right-center. Held to a single in the seventh, he swiped second base for his 33rd steal of the season.
It was one game, but it represented a blueprint of how a flawed team can outhit its weaknesses down the stretch.
“We have a very good lineup. We believe in our lineup,” Nimmo said. “The sky’s the limit for us.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
