On the heels of getting shut out against the Boston Red Sox and scoring just 10 runs in their last seven games, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shuffled his lineup for Wednesday’s series finale, facing a tough lefty on the mound in Garrett Crochet.
Francisco Lindor is still batting leadoff, but Juan Soto and Pete Alonso were both dropped one spot in the order and are hitting third and fourth, respectively. Starling Marte will hit second against the left-hander.
And while Mendoza is not a guy that likes to overreact, evidenced by his unwavering belief all season that his offense will pick up because of the quality of hitters in the lineup, he wanted to try something different and “shuffle some things around.”
“I just felt today was a day to move some people around, especially the guys at the top,” Mendoza said. “Facing a lefty, I knew I was gonna go Soto third and Pete fourth. Looking for a right-handed bat to hit in that two-hole, and it came down to Mark [Vientos] or Marte, and I decided to go with Marte today. That’s why he’s here, especially against a left-handed pitcher.”
Because the skipper likes consistency, it’s likely this new lineup configuration will be more than just a one-time thing against a good left-hander.
“Ideally, I’d like to take a look at it,” Mendoza said. “But it depends on teams we’re facing, how their bullpen is set up, whether I wanna go a lefty in the two hole and then you take your chances left, left second and third. Or do you want to insert a righty there? It depends on who we’re facing, but we’ll see. There’s a good chance I’ll keep those guys three and four and then we’ll go from there.”
For what it’s worth, Alonso has the most experience hitting cleanup in his career. In 509 games hitting fourth (more than double the next closest spot), the first baseman is slashing .248/.336/.515 with 137 home runs.
Perhaps a move to his most-used spot in the order can also help Alonso snap out of a recent cold streak after such a prolonged hot start.
As for Soto, while he has vast experience hitting two through four in the lineup, he has the most plate appearances hitting second. However, not far behind for the 26-year-old is the three-hole where he actually has better numbers (.986 OPS compared to .881 OPS in the two hole).
Nevertheless, Wednesday will be the first time Soto hits in the three-spot since 2023 because he spent all of last season hitting in front of No. 3 hitter Aaron Judge with the Yankees.
“It also makes my decision a lot easier when I go up to someone like Pete Alonso and kind of like ‘hey man, this is what I’m thinking’ and he’s like ‘I’m all up for it’,” Mendoza said. “‘Soto, this is what I’m thinking,’ and he’s like ‘whatever you need, skip’. It makes my job a lot easier when I’m making these decisions.”
Asked whether he thinks this lineup change can catch lightning in a bottle and reverse the Mets’ offensive misfortunes — similar to the Lindor lineup change of 2024 — Mendoza is hopeful, but he knows it’s up to the players, no matter where they hit, to execute.
“It comes down to them executing,” the skipper said. “They’re too good of a player… at the end of the year the numbers are gonna be there, regardless of where they’re hitting, but I just felt like switching it up a little bit here might help the whole team and we’ll see and go from there.”
As for the rest of the lineup, Vientos, Luis Torrens, Tyrone Taylor, Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty are batting five through nine.
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