Mets put it all together in comeback win over Phillies to show what could be when fully healthy
· Yahoo Sports
For just the 11th time this season, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto played in the same game for the Mets in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies and it was both of their contributions that led New York to a comeback victory and snap an ugly seven-game losing streak.
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Down 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning with not much to show for offensively, Soto got things started with a single to right field. Bo Bichette followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second for Lindor, who was playing in just his third game since returning from the injured list and who had been 1-for-11.
The shortstop came through, though, ripping a liner down the first-base line, under the glove of first baseman Bryce Harper, for a two-run triple that got the Mets on the board and tied the game.
The hit was Lindor’s first real test on the bases after straining his left calf in April and he handled it with aplomb, easily reaching third base and celebrating with the team’s spider web gesture that was created while he was on the bench. Lindor credited the trainers for getting him healthy enough to be able to sprint to third base once again, although he admitted he’s reaching an age where stopping at second might be preferred.
“The older I get, the more triples I’m getting, I don’t like it. I want more doubles,” he joked. “But no, it felt good. The trainers have done a really good job of prepping me, getting me ready for this and I felt good. I’m in a good spot.”
The inning continued with back-to-back walks by Jared Young and Mark Vientos to load the bases for A.J. Ewing and the rookie wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch and hitting it sharply up the middle past the drawn-in infield to drive in two more runs and give New York its first lead in three days after a four-run inning.
But the Mets weren’t done. An inning later Carson Benge, another rookie, led off with a single for his second hit of the night before Soto hit a triple to drive him in and match Lindor. Bichette’s sac fly was the icing on the cake offensively while New York’s bullpen threw 4.2 scoreless innings in relief of Christian Scott who looked good in his first start off the IL.
“It’s fantastic, it was great,” Lindor said about the win. “To see quality at-bats from the starting lineup all the way to the end is really good. And then seeing the bullpen continue to do what they’ve been doing… It was a great baseball game for us today.”
The great game by the Mets served as a reminder of what the team was supposed to look like all year before injuries and inconsistencies took hold of them.
“I think that’s what everybody was hoping to see repetitively all summer long. It’s good to see it out there today,” said interim manager Andy Green, who got his first win as manager of the Mets, his first in six years.
Lindor shared similar thoughts about the team and what they were supposed to look like this season, praising David Stearns for the job he did in the offseason and chalking up the disappointing year to injuries.
“Like I said outside, I felt like Stearns did a good job of putting the team together, we just haven’t been together, we just haven’t played together and now that we’re slowly getting healthy, little by little, hopefully this next however many games we can play together and make something special out of it,” he said.
Regardless of what happens for the Mets over the next three months, Green will be the one leading them after the firing of Carlos Mendoza. Green’s last stint as a manager came in 2019 with the San Diego Padres where he went 274-366 in four seasons.
Green talked about getting his first win after such a long time, but ultimately lauded his players for their role in getting it done for him.
“Wins are fun,” he said. “It’s not about me in that situation, it’s about the team and winning as a group is fun and playing whatever part you play in that, that’s fun. I think a lot of guys did a lot of really good things today. It was a cool team win where you could just talk about a bunch of different guys. Those are fun games.”