The New York Mets just went on one of their most memorable runs in recent history. Led by what the Flushing Faithful had coined the “Grimace streak,” as the Mets winning streak began when the legendary McDonald’s mascot threw out the first pitch, the blue and orange won seven straight games before the Texas Rangers snapped the streak on Wednesday.
As a result, the blue and orange have climbed back into the wild-card race and sit just one game back of the final spot despite being three games under .500 (35-38).
While many have claimed Grimace to be the cause of the Mets’ recent success, it resulted from the blue and orange bats coming to life, with a pair of new faces at the top of the order leading the way.
Francisco Lindor has excelled since becoming the Mets’ lead-off hitter
Through the first 44 games of the season, Francisco Lindor slashed .195/.268/.362 and looked like a completely different player than the Flushing Faithful had grown accustomed to.
Then, first-year manager Carlos Mendoza made a switch, moving Lindor to the top of the lineup card, and the 30-year-old excelled.
Since moving to the lead-off spot, Lindor has slashed .300/.366/.508 over the last 29 games with five home runs, 15 total extra-base hits, and 16 RBIs. The Puerto Rican native has recorded at least one hit in 21 of those games and has 11 multi-hit games over that stretch.
Lindor is back to his all-star form, and without his current run, the Mets’ recent run of success doesn’t happen. However, Lindor is not the only Met benefiting from switching spots in the lineup.
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Brandon Nimmo has improved since moving to the two-spot
The Mets’ prior lead-off hitter, Brandon Nimmo, initially got moved to the third spot in the lineup and struggled but has improved since being placed behind Lindor.
The Wyoming native is slashing .429/.484/.714 across seven games from the second spot in the lineup with two home runs and eight RBIs. Nimmo has four multi-hit games in his last six, including home runs in two of his previous three.
Mendoza is pressing all the right buttons, and if that continues, the Mets could compete for a playoff spot until the season’s final day.