Mets SS Francisco Lindor's effort questioned amid slump
Some believe shortstop Francisco Lindor hurt the New York Mets during Sunday's 6-4 home loss to the Toronto Blue Jays beyond just his struggles at the plate.
"He didn’t chase the ball after catcher Francisco Alvarez’s throwing error that allowed a run to score from second base, and he didn’t sprint out of the batter’s box and maybe lost an extra-base hit when his third-inning looping single fell in front of the center fielder," Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post wrote about Lindor for a piece published Monday.
Lindor enjoyed a breakout during three consecutive victories over the Cleveland Guardians, his former club, last month, but the 29-year-old has more recently largely failed to live up to the 10-year contract extension worth $341M he signed before the start of the 2021 campaign. According to Dunleavy, the switch-hitting Lindor is now batting a woeful .199 against right-handed pitchers on the season and went 1-for-12 with a single and eight strikeouts during the three-game sweep completed by Toronto.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that Lindor has just eight hits in his last 56 at-bats following Sunday's action.
Lindor heard boos on multiple occasions during his debut Mets season and had to apologize that summer for a "thumbs-down" celebration that was a response to such jeers. Per Dunleavy, Lindor admitted this past weekend before his average climbed slightly to .213 that he understands why some are booing him.
"I don’t want to block them out," Lindor said. "They are expressing their frustration, and I hear them. I am right there with them. I just have to get better."
Ryan Chichester of Audacy mentioned that WFAN radio host Brandon Tierney suggested Monday that Mets manager Buck Showalter should consider either dropping Lindor in the lineup or sitting the everyday starter when 30-30 New York opens a three-game series at the first-place Atlanta Braves (35-24) on Tuesday night.
"I’m not knocking his attitude," Tierney said about Lindor. "He looks awful...he struck out eight times this weekend."
For what it's worth, Showalter sounded committed to letting Lindor work his way out of the slump while hitting second or third in the batting order. Lindor does have 10 home runs and 40 RBI in 60 games this season.
"But it’s our job — his and ours — to try to figure it out and get it back to what he is used to doing," Showalter said about Lindor. "That hasn’t been the case. We need to figure that out — he and us."
The third-place Mets ended the weekend trailing the Braves by five-and-a-half games in the National League East standings.
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