Francisco Lindor didn’t start Thursday afternoon’s game, much as he didn’t finish Wednesday night’s. He was said to be suffering from flulike symptoms. As someone who’s been enduring some of those myself, I can relate. I don’t have a Joey Wendle standing by to fill in for me, however. Wendle was an All-Star as recently as 2021, Lindor not since 2019. Without knowing anything else about their respective skill sets, you’d have to say shortstop was in good hands despite Francisco’s absence.
We know anything else. We know Wendle is…not an optimal infielder for nine innings this week, maybe not for any innings. Wendle had a rough defensive series, including on Thursday when he didn’t get what appeared to be a fairly routine forceout accomplished. It wasn’t as egregious as the double play attempt he made when a throw home was in order the other night, but it didn’t help. Wendle’s also had a rough offensive year. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for much else. The Mets must have seen something in Wendle in the offseason, something that still sparkled from that golden summer of 2021 when Joey was an apple of some American League decisionmaker’s eye.
Carlos Mendoza saw him and looked for a way to get Lindor in the game as soon as possible, congestion, coughing and runny nose notwithstanding. The usual starter replaced the caddy in the sixth inning, and not a sneeze too soon. The Mets had two runners on and trailed by three. If Lindor could stand, he could pinch-hit. He did and he doubled. The Mets, dressed as Mets for a change, were back in a game that seemed out of their grasp early — a nice way of saying Adrian Houser started — yet never got away. The Mets were down, 4-0 in the fifth when Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte each singled in runs. The Cubs, who I’m as sick of as I am sick in general (how are four-game series considered short in the postseason when they are so endless in the regular season?), snuck one more onto the scoreboard. Enough with their catlike third baseman and their center fielder who touches bases with his batting helmet and their catchers who are immune to plate-blocking regulations. Enough with the pitcher who thinks New York is the place where Spider-Man lives.
Then along came Lindor, readied by the trainers and intestinal fortitude and whatever it took. Or maybe it was such a nice day he insisted on coming out to play. Whatever. Francisco, despite not having been chosen as an All-Star in this decade the way Joey’s been, was the upgrade needed in the sixth…and the eleventh.
In between, there was Nimmo tying the game by driving in Lindor rather than letting him come down with a chill from being left on base; there were familiar Met relievers — Jake Diekman, Reed Garrett, Edwin Diaz (2 IP!) — holding the fort; there was an unfamiliar Met reliever — Danny Young — doing his best; and there were a pair of 9-2 putouts, Marte to Omar Narváez, one that extinguished a rally in the tenth, the other that kept another, in the eleventh, from raging out of control. The Cubs had already taken a 6-5 lead, but if we’ve learned anything from how extras operate in the Rob Manfred Dystopia, it’s that one run is often the new no runs after nine.
Mendoza wanted this game enough to use Diaz for two frames for the first time since his return to health, to use Lindor when maybe Lindor could have used a day in bed, to use a pinch-runner, even. The Mets hadn’t pinch-run since the seventh game of the season, when Zack Short, now with the Red Sox, was our go-to pair of feet. Tyrone Taylor running for J.D. Martinez as the ghost in the tenth didn’t lead anywhere, but it certainly indicated an awareness that losing three out of four loomed as unacceptable…just as calling up top pitching prospect Christian Scott for Saturday to stretch out the rotation, give Luis Severino an extra day, and maybe find a path away from Houser’s every-fifth-day carousel of runners says something positive about priorities.
It all sounds great when it all works out. In the bottom of the eleventh, Brett Baty was abra-ca-dabra’d to second; Harrison Bader was HBP’d; and Lindor, flulike symptoms and all, did some slashing down the left field line. Here came the tying run, here came the winning run, here came the ice water pouring onto the sick guy. We’ll assume that was a gesture of celebratory affection rather than wishing Francisco into the CVS.
What’s better than a win like that? A recap of a win like that. Go FAFIF!
Well, Houser looked, er, better. Not that he could’ve looked much worse. Results weren’t there though. Seems a shame that when one or more of the Megill/Peterson/Sengai pitchers are ready to come back that Butto gets sent down. That’s the world we live in when a player has options.
Glad for the win and Garrett has sure moved up to being used in higher leverage situations. I guess sometimes performance does actually matter. And Marte – had to love the throws.
Pete Alonso is starting to bear a suspicious resemblance to Dave Kingman. Don’t get me wrong – I loved Kong. Even with the pathetic BA (except when he played for someone else) back then it was nice to have at least one player in the lineup pitchers had to pay attention to. Doesn’t mean I want to see it again.
I loved Dave Kingman, too, and will forever be biased in his favor. We should always remember that Kingman was considered a star when he was here the first time around, and was ELECTED to start the All Star Game in 1976.
And when ‘The Midnight Massacre’ is referenced, it is not just Seaver that is mentioned, but ‘Seaver and Kingman,’ because Kingman meant a lot to this organization.
Kingman played an average 1B/OF, and his hitting and fielding skills were never as diminished back then as they are today (incorrectly, I believe).
I agree that it appears that Alonso’s better-than-average fielding skills have somewhat diminished, and the next time he fields a hard-hit ball down the line will be the first time.
Pete is suffering from whiff-like symptoms.
I wonder if GKR realize how silly they sound when each time a player gets a hit, they repeat the same “maybe this will be the hit that gets him on a hot streak” line. They say that so often that it makes you realize how much of this team really, really needs to start hitting.
Seth, could not agree with you more regarding these 3.
Here’s another annoying thing among many:
These guys also side with the Mets on every single close play. Then we look at the first replay and they side with the Mets again. Then on the second replay, they start to waver and give their semi-honest opinions if it looks like it goes the other way.
Darling indicated that Pete did everything right on that clumsy slide into home.
Luckily, Keith, the only one with a shred of sense, said that he should have slid feet first.
Hey, I have great idea that would make MLB millions!
Since many Met fans apparently don’t really care what uniforms they wear, how about this!:
“Other Team Tuesdays!”
Every Tuesday, the Mets wear the uniform of a different MLB team!
Imagine the money that will be made when many of us can all go out the next day and buy a Dodger or Oriole jersey with McNeil’s or Baty’s name and number on the back!
All the teams can do this, as some of us can then collect our favorite players jerseys on ALL THE TEAMS!
I think it’s Brilliant, as there are numerous Suckers born every minute!
Diaz did not pitch 2 innings. Garrett and Diaz pitched the 8th through 10th innings, Garrett getting 4 outs and Diaz 5, which I thought was excellent bullpen management by Mendoza.
Garrett faced one batter in the ninth after pitching the eighth (3 outs). After a walk, Diaz came in and pitched two innings, the ninth and tenth (6 outs). Either way, well-managed game.