Carson Benge found a way to make himself valuable, even as he is among the many in the Mets lineup coming up short at the plate.
Sunday against the A’s, with the Mets down by a run, Benge made an excellent diving catch in shallow center to rob Denzel Clarke of a two-run single to end the top of the fourth.
“It felt great to have my pitcher’s back,’’ Benge said after the 1-0 loss. “I haven’t been the best out there the past few days. I’ve had a couple hiccups, but it’s part of it. That’s how you learn.”
The Mets are hoping Benge’s struggles — on both sides of the ball — are part of his learning process.
He went hitless Sunday as the Mets were swept out of Citi Field by the A’s to extend their losing streak to five games.
Benge is in a 3-for-34 funk, with nine strikeouts and four walks.
But with Juan Soto on the IL with a strained calf and Luis Robert Jr. still on a controlled playing calendar as the Mets try to keep him healthy, Benge continues to get opportunities.
Lately, he’s been surrounded by plenty of other slumping hitters.
“I feel like, particularly over the homestand, I had really good at-bats,’’ Benge said. “I feel it’s just a matter of time for everything to click, and I’m gonna be — and we’re all gonna be — rolling.”
And he insists he’s not overwhelmed by major league pitching or the pressure that comes with slumping — despite just 131 minor league games under his belt and having begun last year with High-A Brooklyn and finishing with 24 games at Triple-A Syracuse before he won the job in spring training.
“You double down on the process even when things aren’t going your way out there,” Benge said. “Sticking to what makes you good is a big thing. I’m just approaching all of this like I always have: as the same game, just that guys are a little bit better. That doesn’t change even if you’re not doing too well. You don’t let the outside get to you.”
And when you can, try to help on defense.
Carlos Mendoza called the catch, which came with runners on second and third and two outs in the fourth, “pretty incredible.”
“That was an awesome play by him,’’ Freddy Peralta said. “I couldn’t believe it. For a moment, I thought it was gonna hit the ground. He was prepared for that and made a great catch.”
“He had that jump off the bat,’’ Mendoza said. “It looked like it would probably fall in, and the way he went after that ball and the dive was pretty impressive.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
