HOUSTON — Mets shorstop Francisco Lindor is in the middle of another early-season slump. He assures everyone, however, that his pregnant wife, who is expecting any moment, has nothing to do with him starting the season 0-for-11.
“It’s life, and I’m sure I’m not the only one going through it. There’s no excuse,” Lindor told reporters after the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday. “There was no baby last year (and) I was in the same spot, so it’s not my kid’s fault.”
Lindor was 1-for-31 in the Mets’ first eight games last season, and things still turned out okay for him. He finished the season as the NL MVP runner-up after leading his team to Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.
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Lindor has been prone to slow starts his whole career. He bats .242 with a .746 OPS in April compared to a .279 batting average and .828 OPS the rest of the season, but why?
“That’s a fantastic question. I’m sure everyone is asking that, and I’m sure everyone’s trying to figure it out, and I’m right there with everyone,” Lindor said. “I don’t know, I guess I got to put the ball in play. Focus on not hitting it to the opposing players.
”Today, I felt a bit better than yesterday.”
Lindor did have a more productive game on Saturday than the rest of the series. His final two batted balls had an exit velocity of over 97 mph, something he didn’t accomplish in his previous 10 at-bats.
He even managed to move Jose Siri over to third base and a fly ball to center field in the sixth inning. Siri eventually scored the Mets’ only run on an aggressive running play.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza isn’t worried about Lindor’s slow start.
“Three games,” Mendoza told reporters with a slight shrug.
Lindor will rest on a rare Sunday with no scheduled games. If his wife doesn’t go into labor before then, he’ll look to break his slump when the Mets face the Miami Marlins in a three-game series starting Monday.
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Manny Gómez may be reached at [email protected].
