Today’s NY Mets lineup vs. Phillies shows they’ve learned a lesson about two of their players

The New York Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies an hour earlier than originally planned with a first pitch at 3:05pm rather than 4:05pm. The attempt to get the game in before the weather gets too brutal in Philly was a smart decision requiring only a minor adjustment. A much bigger one happened with the Mets lineup. See if you can spot it.

Up against lefty Jesus Luzardo, the Mets aren’t forcing Eric Wagaman into the middle of the lineup. Smartly pushing him into the number nine spot where he is best suited whenever he does play, they’ve also elevated Francisco Alvarez to the clean-up role.

After homering twice on Thursday, manager Andy Green commented on Alvarez’s power out of the number nine spot. It was a hint we didn’t expect to see so soon. The very next game, with a day off in between, Alvarez popped up out of the number nine spot and took a more appropriate spot in the middle of the lineup while trying to take advantage of facing a lefty.

Francisco Alvarez is getting another shot in the middle of the Mets lineup

Alvarez hasn’t had much luck this year in the upper part of the lineup. He is 2 for 20 while batting third and 1 for 8 out of the clean-up spot. The number nine spot has been where he has been most frequently used. It has also provided the best results, slashing .345/.433/.707 in 68 plate appearances.

The splits certainly suggest Alvarez is going to perform at his best when buried in the lineup. There comes a point, however, when a team like the Mets would want him to move up. With a choice of him or Wagaman in the middle of the lineup, Alvarez should be the one to provide them with the most punch.

Alvarez’s positioning at number four is likely to remain exclusive only against lefties as this lineup has A.J. Ewing dropping down to eighth. Francisco Lindor jumps back up to the number one spot in the lineup for a day while maybe trying to protect the rookie center fielder and kick Lindor awake. New York has been using him as their fourth hitter since his IL return without incredible results. In fact, the clean-up spot has been a bit of a mess all year for the Mets. The Phillies are one of the few teams who’ve done worse.

The lineup promotion for Alvarez is a chance to take advantage of a bat that has been one of the hottest. Alvarez’s .313 average in July leads the team. He hasn’t hit fourth since May 1. Those opportunities will probably require him to produce in the limited chances he gets. This lineup doesn’t include Jorge Polanco who’ll regularly challenge for at-bats in the middle of the order.

Today’s Mets lineup feels more sensible than trying to make a player like Wagaman work. Alvarez has reverse splits this year with a .688 OPS against lefties in comparison to a .801 OPS against right-handed pitchers. While the Mets probably won’t suddenly keep him elevated from the number nine spot, they need to consider it if the numbers suggest they should.

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