Mets shutout in LA, Francisco Lindor has a hotel mishap, and can JD Davis reclaim a leading role?
With Lindor out of the line-up the Mets are shutout for the first time in 2022 while J.D. Davis tries to take advantage of a newfound opportunity
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets were shutout for the first time this season, falling to the Dodgers 2-0 in Los Angeles and ending their six-game winning streak (Box)
Taijuan Walker pitched well, allowing two runs over 5.2 IP although he took the loss
Pete Alonso had a rough night at the plate, going 0-4 with three strikeouts
Francisco Lindor did not play the series opener after shutting his right middle finger in a hotel door
New York did not advance a runner to third base on Thursday
Who’s Hot 🔥
JD Davis has started three straight games and gone 5-for-11 with a double
Colin Holderman has allowed only one run across his first 10.2 big league innings
Luis Guillorme has 10 hits in his last six games
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (35-18) at Dodgers (34-17)
Where: Dodger Stadium — Los Angeles, CA
Starters: RHP Chris Bassitt (4-2, 3.66 ERA) vs LHP Tyler Anderson (6-0, 2.90 ERA)
When: 10:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
JD Davis’ last best chance in Queens 📝
For the majority of the winter, the expectation of most followers and observers of the New York Mets was that JD Davis would be traded to a new city before spring training. Perhaps the lockout played a role in trade talks not gaining traction, but regardless of how it happened—on opening day Davis was still calling Queens home.
Early in the season, though, Davis struggled to settle into a role and find his rhythm. He was DH’ing whenever the Mets saw a left-handed starter but those were few and far between in April. New York was trying—way too hard at that—to get Robinson Canó going and gave him a plethora of unnecessary at-bats over the first few weeks. Dominic Smith then got his fair share of playing time both at DH at first base, allowing Pete Alonso to have sporadic nights off of his feet.
But as the calendar has reached June, things have changed.
Cano was released weeks ago, and just a few days ago Smith was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Sure, Nick Plummer has come up and provided an emphatic spark this week, but he is best served as a backup outfielder.
That brings me back to Davis, who is now going to get consistent playing time as the designated hitter. Thursday night was his third-straight start, and his bat has perked up a little as a result.
Davis has now hit in three-straight games and over his last seven dating back to May 21, Davis is hitting .423/.464/.539 with three double and three RBI.
Given how the roster has evolved over the last month, this uptick in performance is critical for not just the Mets, but Davis himself. The Mets clearly like the veteran right-handed hitter and want to give him an opportunity to succeed. But this Mets team has serious aspirations for later this calendar year, and they’ve got an owner and a front office willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals.
What does that mean for Davis going forward? Yes, the Mets want to give him a chance to figure it out and get going and be a part of the offensive juggernaut Buck Showalter has at his disposal. They are clearing positioning him for a medium-term opportunity to give him a consistent run here to help him feel more comfortable offensively. But if he fails to establish himself quickly, the trade deadline could sneak up on him in a hurry. And if the Mets have a chance to add someone like JD Martinez from a struggling Boston team, they would certainly view that as an upgrade (if the opportunity arises, the Mets should probably do that regardless of Davis’ or anyone else’s performance).
Which is why, at the risk of coming across as overly dramatic, it’s critical for Davis to prove he belongs in this lineup. It’s simply his last, best chance to be a regular on a really fun team, and I for one—along with my colleague Linda—certainly hope he can take advantage.
Down on the Farm 🌾
Francisco Álvarez (C, No. 1 Prospect, Double-A): 3-for-7, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Daniel Palka (1B, Triple-A): 3-for-4 2 RBI, BB, R
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 Prospect, Double-A): 1-for-3 HR, 3 RBI
Justin Guerrera (3B-Single-A): 2-for-4 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A Game 1 Game 2 | | Single-A
Around the League 🚩
Jameson Taillon had a perfect game through seven in the Yankees win over the Angels in the night portion of their double header
Santiago Espinal had three hits and drove in three runs to help Toronto beat the White Sox
Sandy Alcantara shut out the Giants over seven innings in Miami’s 3-0 victory
Former Met Travis d’Arnaud had three hits— including two home runs—and drove in six in Atlanta’s thrashing of the Rockies
Joey Votto homered and drove in three as Cincinnati blew out Washington at Great American Ballpark
Whoops, just saw the repost of this newsletter, nice job on the edit!
I’ve been digging this blog because of the writing, however, this article was not proofed prior to publishing!
Also, I thought Dom was sent down for regular ABs, I see Daniel Palka’s stats, is Dom not yet in games since his demotion?