Shortstop Francisco Lindor opened up about the New York Mets struggling through the first half of the season. In their final series against the Boston Red Sox, they dropped the first two, but led 2–0 during the ninth of the finale. Yet again, the Mets crumbled under pressure and allowed the Red Sox to take the win 3–2 at Citi Field on Sunday. This concluded a series sweep and started another three-game losing streak going into the All-Star break.
“I’m not playing to the standard that I have. I’m not playing to the organization’s standards. I gotta get better. It’s unacceptable. It shouldn’t be happening where we’re at and how we’re playing and how I’m playing,” Lindor said.
Francisco Lindor Struggles
At the start of his sixth season in Queens, Lindor struggled to get much going. In April, he recorded only 18 hits, two home runs and five RBI. He struck out 16 times and was then sidelined by a quad injury.
After spending two months on the injured list, Francisco Lindor made his return in late June. He produced three hits, three RBI and a home run. He showed some signs of improvement, stringing together a four-game hit streak. Against the Red Sox in the series finale, he scored both of the Mets’ runs on an RBI double and a solo shot in the sixth.
However, Lindor fell much short in the ninth when he committed a costly fielding error that could have resulted in a double play if executed correctly. This put two runners on base, as the Red Sox scored twice to tie the game. The road team proceeded to seal the series sweep in extra innings.
“The ball ate me up. Went after it and it just took a higher hop and hit me on the palm of the hand and wrist. Didn’t make the play. Unacceptable,” Lindor added.
Stepping Up
With a 40–57 record, the Mets sit at the bottom of the NL standings. They are 16 games out of first place in the NL East and need to string together another win streak if they want to have a chance at contending for a playoff spot. Before the Red Sox series, they had won four of their last five and showed signs of improvement.
The pressure will have to fall more on Francisco Lindor during the second half of the year due to him being more than capable of doing so in the past. Two seasons ago, he led the Mets with 169 hits, 33 home runs and 91 RBI in 152 appearances. His numbers that time around was enough to help them reach the playoffs and he will need to step up again.
“We’re going to play as hard as we can in the second half, and hopefully we finish up in a much better position because right now, it’s not where we want to be,” Lindor concluded.
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