New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza made a simple switch atop the batting order, and it paid big dividends.
Placed in the leadoff position in Game 2 of a doubleheader, Brandon Nimmo hit a grand slam in the second inning and Francisco Lindor added a solo homer and three RBIs in New York’s 7-3 home victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.
Winners of just four of their past 18 games, the Mets will pursue a series victory on Thursday night in the rubber match of the set against the Brewers.
Nimmo and Lindor combined to go 5-for-9 while driving in all seven runs and tagging rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski with his first loss. Lindor, voted the starting shortstop for this year’s National League All-Star team, traditionally bats atop the lineup while Nimmo often is in various spots throughout the order.
“Whatever helps us win, that’s what I’m down for,” Nimmo said of the new lineup.
Lindor was mired in a 2-for-30 stretch before he followed Nimmo’s third career grand slam with a solo homer.
“I just followed whatever Nimmo did,” Lindor said. “Nimmo went up there, was aggressive and got a good pitch and did what he did.”
Lindor added an RBI single in the sixth inning and a run-scoring double in the eighth as the Mets snapped a four-game skid.
Nimmo, Lindor and company now will take aim at a familiar face in Milwaukee left-hander Jose Quintana.
Quintana (6-2, 3.30 ERA) spent the previous two seasons with the Mets before signing a one-year, $4.25 million contract in the offseason with the Brewers. He won his first four starts this season, allowing just three runs over 23 2/3 innings. His fortunes dipped with an 0-2 record over his next five outings, a stretch that included a stint on the injured list due to left shoulder impingement.
Quintana, however, recorded his second straight victory on Friday despite allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 10-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Quintana, 36, has a 2-2 record with a 4.07 ERA in four career appearances (all starts) against the Mets.
New York left-hander David Peterson (5-4, 3.30) will provide the opposition on Thursday. Peterson surrendered five runs for the second straight outing in a 9-1 setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Peterson, 29, is 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) versus the Brewers.
Joey Ortiz hit a grand slam in the sixth inning of Milwaukee’s 7-2 victory in the first game of the doubleheader on Wednesday.
“Like Rhys (Hoskins) always says,” Ortiz said, “you have to keep walking up there because you’re going to have another shot.”
Brice Turang had an RBI double in the first contest Wednesday to extend his career-best hitting streak to 14 games. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the nightcap, however.
–Field Level Media
