Harrison Bader needed only five pitches in the No. 2 spot in the New York Mets’ batting order to ensure Carlos Mendoza’s lineup shuffle paid dividends Wednesday night.
Now the Mets hope a rare resounding win will generate the momentum they need to continue climbing out of an early-season hole.
The Mets will look for their second series win this month Thursday night when they host the Miami Marlins in the rubber game of a three-game set.
Luis Severino (4-2, 3.25 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Roddery Munoz (1-2, 5.95).
Bader, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor all homered Wednesday night for the Mets, who never trailed in a 10-4 win.
Even with the Mets showing signs of life at the plate lately, Mendoza tinkered with the lineup by inserting Bader — who batted seventh or lower in each of his first 47 starts — into the No. 2 spot while slotting J.D. Martinez third and Pete Alonso fourth. Martinez batted third in the order once this season before Wednesday, while Alonso made his previous 23 starts out of the second spot.
Lindor, who has batted leadoff in 22 straight games, opened with a double off Braxton Garrett before Bader — who hadn’t started a game in the No. 2 spot since June 27, 2023, when he was with the New York Yankees — homered to left-center.
The Mets finished with 14 hits as they scored at least five runs for the seventh time in the last 10 games, a span in which they are 6-4. New York scored at least five runs just 10 times from April 26 through May 30, going 10-22 in that stretch.
“Sometimes it’s going to work, sometimes it’s not going to work — I’m glad it worked out today in that first inning,” Mendoza said of his lineup maneuvers. “Some of the chances you take as a manager (is) knowing your players, knowing the personnel and putting them in situations where you feel like they’re going to have success.”
The Marlins’ chances to succeed Wednesday were damaged by shoddy defense during the second inning, when the Mets took the lead for good by scoring three times against Garrett. Following a leadoff single by Tyrone Taylor, Mark Vientos reached on an error by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera.
Francisco Alvarez singled home Taylor before the runners advanced on a wild pitch. Vientos then raced home when Jeff McNeil’s grounder clipped off the glove of second baseman Otto Lopez, who was charged with an error. McNeil scored two outs later on Martinez’s single.
The Marlins have committed 48 errors, the most in the National League and second most in the majors behind the Boston Red Sox (50).
“We didn’t play clean defense behind Braxton, who pitches to contact,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said after Garrett was charged with six runs (four earned) over 4 2/3 innings. “He pitched better than I think his line probably shows. A couple potential double-play balls to get out of that big inning. Ran the pitch count up because of it.”
Severino earned the win in his most recent start, when he gave up one run over eight innings and the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 9-1 on June 5. He is 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA in two career starts against the Marlins. Severino got a no-decision at Miami on May 18 after surrendering five runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Munoz took a loss on Saturday after allowing four runs on five hits and four walks over four-plus innings as the Marlins fell 8-0 to the Cleveland Guardians. The 24-year-old rookie, who will be making his fifth career start Thursday, has never opposed the Mets.
–Field Level Media