As this Mets roster reforms limb by limb, most are confident that this offense will find their way out of the darkness, most notably navigating out of the caverns they’ve been lost in over the last couple of weeks (.201/.289/.337, 79 wRC+ since June 10).
On Wednesday, in need of a series split with Atlanta to keep pace in an ever-tightening NL East (Phils, Nats, and Braves all entered the day four games back of the Mets), and even more so in search of life at the plate, the Mets answered that bell with vigor.
Multi-hit games from Jeff McNeil (3-for-5, RBI), Francisco Lindor (2-for-4, HR, three RBIs), Michael Conforto, fresh off the IL (2-for-4, 2B, two runs), James McCann (2-for-4, 2B, RBI), and Luis Guillorme (2-for-3, 2B, two runs) powered the way as if on cue.
It turns out that for instant run-support, the Mets just needed to add some Scooter and stir. Best Kool-Aid ever.
“Connecting [McNeil, Lindor, and Conforto], they got our offense going,” Rojas said after the Mets 7-3 win. “Guillorme did an outstanding job in the eight-hole, too, so we could connect to the top-two at times. That got the offense going for us, too.”
The return of Conforto and McNeil to the lineup after missing over a month each with hamstring strains will have ripple effects, as we saw Wednesday.
More wrinkles for opposing pitchers to prepare for, in addition to the protection Conforto will afford Lindor ahead of him (and then right down the line to Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith, et al), changes the dynamic of this offense moving forward.
With more weapons to defend against, pitchers will have to face guys head-on instead of working around them to get the more-sure out.
“I’m glad to have them back,” Lindor said. “Even though the other guys did an outstanding job filling in for them, having McNeil and Conforto is going to be huge for us.”
The Bench Mob would only take this group so far. This is no surprise.
Wednesday’s lineup looked more like the actual starting eight than it had in some time and it should bode well for the future if the initial results were any indicator. And this could only be the start.
“We’re a good team, but we’re not where we want to be yet,” Lindor said. “And that’s gonna come. I truly believe that’s gonna come. Once we have more consistency and have all the pieces of the puzzle, it’s gonna be great to put together.”
On the mound, 25-year-old right-hander Tylor Megill had an outstanding MLB debut, going 4.1 strong innings with Ender Inciarte’s two-run homer in the fifth as the only mark on his line.
“I was impressed with his poise,” Rojas told the team’s media corps after the game. As were we.
What we were not impressed by was umpiring crew chief Ron Kulpa’s decision to give Megill the sticky business while soaking in his well-deserved standing ovation. Fun story to tell the grandkids, though.
Performances like Megill’s on Wednesday will be necessary to keep things moving in the right direction as the front office decides how to proceed with the reinforcement of lost depth across the roster.
Until that bridge is crossed, let the ReplaceMets magic continue (in moderation, please).
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