In Mets' loss to Marlins, Jeff McNeil shows signs of life at the plate
The Mets' Jeff McNeil holds up an "OMG" sign as he celebrates a home run with teammates during the fifth inning of a game against the Marlins on Friday in Miami. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
MIAMI — In an otherwise unremarkable 6-4 loss to the Marlins on Friday night, an encouraging and potentially very important development emerged for the Mets: Jeff McNeil showed signs of life.
Their most disappointing hitter during the first half of the season returned from the All-Star break with two home runs to keep the Mets in a game that had been leaning toward a blowout.
For McNeil, who entered with a bizarrely low .216 average and .591 OPS and in recent weeks has adopted a matching miserable demeanor, it was a gratifying game that he hopes is not a mere blip. For the Mets, who have one of the more productive offenses in the majors, it could be a hint that their lineup is about to get even deeper.
“If you add a guy like that, who’s not far removed from winning a batting championship, hitting at the bottom of the order and from the left side, it’s going to make our lineup better and a lot deeper,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s a big part of this team. It’s good to see him getting some results there.”
The rest of the Mets (49-47) didn’t do much of anything. Lefthander Sean Manaea labored through his worst start in six weeks, a five-inning, five-run performance that he called “very less than ideal.”
The Mets blew a primo scoring chance in the eighth inning, when they had runners on second and third with one out in a 5-4 game. Harrison Bader’s grounder to shortstop led to Jose Iglesias getting tagged out at the plate. Francisco Lindor popped out against freshly inserted closer Tanner Scott, who recorded a four-out save.
With the Mets trailing 4-0, McNeil hit a solo shot to straightaway centerfield in the fifth off righthander Edward Cabrera (4 2⁄3 innings, two runs). In the sixth, he pulled a two-run blast to rightfield against lefthander Andrew Nardi, who had just entered the game to face him, to draw the Mets within 5-4.
And you know who saw it coming? Mendoza. “We like what we’re seeing lately,” the manager said before the game.
It was less psychic and more astute observation from a baseball lifer. McNeil hadn’t gotten results yet, Mendoza explained, but he noted higher-quality contact and better decisions on when to swing (and not swing).
“I feel like I’ve been seeing the ball well for the last couple of weeks, hitting some balls hard that aren’t getting through,” McNeil said. “It’s nice to have a little bit of success tonight.”
McNeil said he had been trying to “aim” the ball, which very much was not working. So he stopped that and instead focused on just hitting it hard, wherever it went.
He described himself as “always tinkering and trying to find something that works.”
“Your swing gets a little bit messed up once you’re trying to guide the ball,” McNeil said. “Once I find the thing that works, it’s go time. Hopefully I can use tonight to kick-start a good second half.”
Before his burst with the bat, McNeil made a highlight-reel play in rightfield. His leaping catch at the wall robbed Bryan De La Cruz of at least a double and perhaps a home run. That got the blood flowing again after a half-week off.
McNeil said, “It was nice to get away from baseball for a few days.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
