![]() ![]() They believe they have succeeded by improving their focus on the details, as has been Showalter’s demand for all his teams. His hope was to return to the lineup Friday, to resume aiding in the Mets’ ascent toward the National League’s peak position. He missed the series opener, watching from the dugout bench while his teammates took batting and infield practice. ![]() Lindor spoke with a bandage covering his bloodied right middle finger, which he said he hurt while closing the sliding doors at the team’s five-star West Hollywood hotel. They’re a good team, and we’re a good team. "They’ve been the team in the National League for quite some time. "We respect our opponent," New York shortstop Francisco Lindor said two hours before Thursday’s first pitch. But they also have about the hottest hitter alive, Mookie Betts, and a cavalcade of All-Stars around him. Their rival Phillies and Braves have six and five such players, respectively.Įven the Dodgers have only six. Eight Mets have logged above-average OPS+ marks in 100 or more plate appearances this season. No one of their hitters has dominated at a best-in-league pace, but nightly, they are trotting out a lineup full of competent players. The Mets have done it with a balanced offensive attack. Both Scherzer and Jacob deGrom are out due to injuries, and the team has continued to win two-thirds of its games. The Mets have proven so far this season that they can maintain their focus and withstand temporary setbacks. "After playing in their division, once you hear the Dodgers, everybody wants to beat them, and once you get so uptight you want to beat them, you lose focus on what you got to do," Kirby said. The exception, first-base coach Wayne Kirby, spent 2020 and '21 in the same role with the Padres and observed the Dodgers’ dominance up close. They have all faced favorites in their pasts, but beyond the injured Max Scherzer, few Mets players and staffers are deeply familiar with these Dodgers. Ben Verlander discusses what this means for the New York Mets moving forward and how they can stay afloat without key pieces of their pitching staff. Or you could instill fear in them with a few smart decisions fueled by additional focus - and coax mistakes.Īce Max Scherzer is out six-to-eight weeks due to an oblique injury. When facing a talented opponent, you could press early and render yourself an easier out. You can’t stray outside of what you’ve been doing, but it’s a good measuring point." "A little more disciplined when you go up there and take your at-bats. "When you play a team like this, you have to be a little more detailed," he said. When he studied the Dodgers' bullpen, he found a variety of relievers offering new, individualized looks. It’s a good measuring stick to see where I’m at personally and try to continue with doing what you’re doing, making sure everything’s firing on all cylinders."Īs a first-year Met regularly meeting new opponents this season, Canha is accustomed to performing extensive pre-series video study. "They have a lot of good pitching over there. "That’s the way I’m going to approach it as an individual," he said. Internally, it only makes sense for players to measure themselves against the Dodgers, as outfielder Mark Canha acknowledged. Showalter said that shortly after acknowledging that the ways the Mets approached this series publicly and privately could be different. ![]()
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