3 changes we need to see from the Mets before the Braves series begins

All of the good vibes the New York Mets may have had from their sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies is gone, and they now have to find a way to get back on track for a pivotal matchup with the Atlanta Braves.

Now five games back, this figures to be the make or break point for the Mets season. If they are unable to gather themselves and compete in this series, the Braves might start to run away with the division. With that in mind, the team needs to make some urgent changes in order to potentially save their season.

The Mets need to bump Francisco Lindor down in the lineup for the Atlanta series

After another dreadful performance led to boo's from the Mets faithful, Francisco Lindor saw his batting average fall to a dismal .213. Mired in a 2-22 slump, Lindor has more strikeouts than hits on the season and Mets fans are beginning to run out of patience with the $341 million dollar player.

For such an important series, the Mets need to move Lindor out of the top half of the lineup. He has been amongst the worst in the league in first inning production, and the Mets as a whole have gotten off to far too many slow starts this season. With Brandon Nimmo being a constant on the bases and Pete Alonso doing his job as a power hitter, the team needs more production from their other key spots.

To replace Lindor atop the Mets order, Buck Showalter should look no further than options he has already explored in the past. Keeping Jeff McNeil in the #3 spot would allow for former #2 hitter Starling Marte to return to the top of the lineup, as he has turned his season around recently. The Mets could also look towards returning Francisco Alvarez or the red-hot Mark Canha to the #2 spot as well. Either way, there are a multitude of options that would be able to replace Lindor at the top until his bat starts to heat up.