3 Mets lineup decisions that made Carlos Mendoza look good this week

Do you know who might’ve had the best week for the New York Mets? The skipper, Carlos Mendoza. Undoubtedly assisted in some way putting together the lineups, three decisions this week seemed to work out really well for the team.

Batting Tyrone Taylor second on Monday

It feels like ages since the Mets played their one game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The big hit in this one came off the bat of Tyrone Taylor who found himself batting second. Taylor has shifted around the lineup plenty this year. With some interesting reverse splits, he seemed like a good match to hit high in the order against Cardinals starter Andre Pallante who has done better against lefties this year. A bases-clearing double in the top of the fifth put the Mets ahead 5-0 and essentially delivered the finishing blow to the Cardinals. Shortly before this, Harrison Bader picked up an RBI double of his own. Bader has been in the two-spot plenty this year. Do they do damage against Pallante if reversed in the order? Either way, this lineup worked out well.

Batting Jesse Winker third on Wednesday

We didn’t see much of Jesse Winker with two lefties starting for the Colorado Rockies this week. His failed pinch hit attempt on Tuesday had some fans irate. He bounced back nicely the following day hitting third as the team’s DH. He had 3 hits for the Mets including an RBI single late to add breathing room. Mendoza may still be undecided about exactly where Winker will hit regularly in the lineup. On a day off for J.D. Martinez, handing him his spot made sense and paid off.

Batting Jose Iglesias second on Thursday

A day off for Brandon Nimmo against a lefty, Mendoza pushed the right button here by having Jose Iglesias bat second. The veteran infielder would go 1 for 3 with a pair of runs batted in and a run scored. This was far from his most memorable game of the year, but the choice to hit him there was the cherry on top of a very good week. In 2024, there probably isn’t a place you could put Iglesias and see him put together a bad at-bat.

Bonus: Putting Pete Alonso back in the clean-up spot

Pete Alonso batted fifth for only a day this week. While it wasn’t a stellar couple of days for him, he had a hit in each of the last four games with a two-home run day on Thursday. The Mets could still use a lengthy hot streak from him. There’s no place like Seattle to do it.