metropolis manager Carlos Mendoza Talking about different aspects of the team after ending its 12-game losing streak 3-2 win over Twins
Juan Soto’s first game back
The Mets lineup got a huge boost on Wednesday. They activated Soto from the IL and inserted him into the two-hole hole as a DH.
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He finished 1-for-3 with a walk, but hit the batter like Soto.
In his first AB, he launched a 96 mph fastball to deep center field. Sounds good — on replay, he appeared to be right under the ball — and only traveled 387 feet, but he was on top of the fastball. In his second at-bat, he hit a sharp line drive to right field at 104.3 mph. Two strikes, two loud outs. He walked six pitches in the fifth inning and then led off the eighth with a single.
“That pitch, that first at-bat, is going to be gone. In the summer, I think it’s going to go away,” Mendoza said of Soto’s at-bat. “Overall, he looks really good.”
Soto was thrown out early in the eighth inning, but as the Mets captain said, Soto didn’t look rusty at the plate.
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Clay Holmes hits another mark
Holmes lost his stellar performance against the Mets in the win.
The right-hander allowed just two runs in seven strong innings, giving his team a chance to win Wednesday night.
“He did really well tonight,” Mendoza said. “That sinker knocked the ball down and kept getting ground balls. He pitched the ball efficiently and you looked up and he got strikes and kept attacking and gave us seven innings and he was very consistent with his outs.”
For the Mets, a win to end the losing streak would be important even if Holmes doesn’t make the decision. But the Mets starters, like everyone else in the locker room, are relieved they overcame the odds.
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“It’s fun to win,” Holmes said. “It was a tough time. It was a crazy thing. Things started to spin and a lot happened. Just feeling the win again and seeing everyone smiling. It was a good feeling.
“It’s not easy to lose games, especially when you get the kind of starting pitching we have, but good teams find a way to win games like this,” Mendoza said. “I’m sure we’re going to start doing that here soon, especially with the way our starters continue to throw the baseball. But it was great to have guys like that today.”
In five starts this season, Holmes has not allowed more than two runs and twice went seven innings. His ERA is now 2.10.
Shortstop option without Francisco Lindor?
In addition to the win, news from the game was that Lindor exited the game with calf tightness. Although Lindor will undergo an MRI on Thursday before making a decision on whether to play, the Mets appear poised to be without their shortstop for some time.
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Beau Bichette With Lindor out, he was moved to shortstop, his natural position in his first year with the Mets. Mendoza was asked if Bichette would play shortstop without Lindor, and the Mets skipper wouldn’t commit to that, but it’s more likely they’ll keep Bichette at third base and call someone up.
“We’ll see. Again, we have to wait and see what Lindor brings. If it’s the IL, we’ll make a move,” Mendoza explained. “Who could that be? I have to talk to him. david [Stearns] Let’s see what we got from Lindor and we’ll go from there. If I needed to play Beau there, I wouldn’t hesitate, but I think we’re going to bring in a guy that’s also capable of playing that position. “
Mendoza has experimented with different lineups in recent weeks, with Bichette taking the lead Wednesday. Asked whether we should expect a similar lineup — sans Lindor, of course — on Thursday, Mendoza said there are factors that determine the lineup, such as the pitching they face and the state of the opponent’s bullpen, but that he will continue to try.
“I had to be creative,” he said. “When everyone is healthy, I want to be consistent. Now, we can call it that. I like to wave anywhere, and if I like to wave hit, I will.”
