SAN DIEGO — It’s been “an uphill battle” for Francisco Lindor all season. Really, it’s a fitting theme for the entire team, but especially so for the shortstop the Mets consider to be a franchise cornerstone.
But now, after hitting .415 with three home runs, two triples, a double and six RBI to help the Mets win a season-high six straight games?
“It feels like the road got a little flatter,” Lindor said Friday night after the Mets defeated the San Diego Padres 7-5 at Petco Park.
If the Mets are going to make the type of comeback they have been saying they’re capable of, they’ll need their stars to play like stars. Lindor wasn’t exactly playing like one earlier this season. He hit just .218 through March and April with a .762 OPS. He hit six home runs in the month of May which helped to cover up some other offensive shortcomings. He had a tOPS+ of only 70 for the month of May (100 is average).
Pete Alonso carried the Mets during the early part of the season and the Mets pieced together enough wins to get by until everything fell apart in June.
The Mets are still trying to climb out of the hole they dug themselves when they went 7-19 last month. There were empty at-bats with runners on base and errors made on routine plays, which didn’t help an untenable pitching situation.
Lindor, an important figure in the Mets clubhouse and on the field, took those losses hard, but he made sure he owned up to his own mistakes. He was in front of his locker after every loss, taking full accountability for his own miscues and trying to assure fans that he, along with the rest of the team, would get better.
The Mets appreciated the way he showed up every day with positive energy and a realistic outlook. He provided a steadying influence through a turbulent few months.
“He has a very consistent personality. He’s very consistent and that means a lot to our club,” said manager Buck Showalter. “His personality is the same regardless of what happens on the field.”
Lindor has made good on his promise to get better and it’s made the Mets better. Coming into Saturday, Lindor owned a slashline of .302/.407/.677 with an OPS of 1.084, nine home runs, two triples, five doubles, 20 RBI and nine stolen bases over his last 28 games. He’s walked as many times as he has struck out over that span (17).
Defensively, he has saved the Mets three runs this season, which is what he is the most proud of. The mental errors he made earlier in the season in an attempt to force plays have not happened recently.
“I love my defense,” he said. “Defense and running the bases. [Friday], I was out [trying to steal second] but I was able to move my hand and beat [the tag] out. Running the bases, making something happen and then defense, just being able to take hits away and close out the plays, it’s fun. We all look at offense because offense is the one that you see the most and for some reason it always feels like the most rewarding, but to me, defense and baserunning. I love it.”
Lindor is putting up All-Star caliber numbers, but that slow start likely cost him a trip to the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle next week. Alonso is currently the only Mets representative, though that could change over the next few days. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was added to the roster Friday to replace Dansby Swanson, who turned down his invitation to the midsummer classic because of an injury.
Mets DH Daniel Vogelbach had no problem expressing his dismay at the news that Perdomo was chosen over his childhood teammate and longtime friend. After Lindor went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI on Friday, Vogelbach was in the clubhouse telling anyone who would listen that the choice to include Perdomo and exclude Lindor was the wrong one.
Earlier in the week, Alonso and outfielder Brandon Nimmo told the Daily News that he felt Lindor should be on the NL team as well.
Lindor, for his part, was more interested in getting Nimmo to Seattle.
“The guys who are in it deserve it,” Lindor said. “On this team, Nimmo deserves it a lot more than me. Let’s get him there first and then we’ll worry about me.”
Lindor is happy with how he’s been playing, but he’s even happier that his play is helping lead to wins. To say this season hasn’t been easy for Lindor might be an understatement, but he’ll ride this high while he can.
“I know it’s going to go back up at some point,” he said. “But I’ve just got to keep climbing and walking the line. The most important thing here is that we win.”
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