Francisco Lindor doesn’t have any answers for his puzzling play.
He doesn’t have any excuses, either.
It’s not missing most of spring training due to a hamate bone injury. It’s not the absence of Juan Soto, adding pressure on the shortstop.
“I’m not sure. I feel like I’m locked in,” he said after the Mets’ 11-6 loss to the A’s at Citi Field Saturday, their fourth straight. “It just happens. I’ve got to be better.”
The defeat highlighted Lindor’s latest mental mistake. In the second inning, he failed to cover second on a potential double-play ball, allowing the A’s to tack on a run. Rather than cover the bag, Lindor pursued the ball up the middle. Second baseman Marcus Semien fielded it, and with nobody to throw to, stepped on second for the force.
“I went after the ball and Marcus was there,” said Lindor, batting just .167 on the season without an RBI. “I didn’t make it to second base. We didn’t turn the double play. Senga could’ve gotten out of the inning right there and I didn’t help him.
“No miscommunication. He’s one of the best second basemen in the game, and I should expect he’s gonna be there. There was no miscommunication at all.”
This wasn’t an isolated incident. In an April 1 game against the Cardinals, Lindor forgot how many outs there were on a double-play ball, which wound up forcing starter Freddy Peralta to throw extra pitches to get out of the inning. Later in the game, Lindor was picked off first while adjusting his sliding mitt.
There was another miscue Friday. With runners on first and third and no outs and the Mets trailing by a run, Lindor only went halfway on a ground ball to first. He was thrown out trying to get back to third. Afterward, Lindor said he should’ve forced a rundown to advance the other runners. The next hitter, Luis Robert Jr., grounded into an inning-ending double play.
“It’s weird, because that’s not him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s hard to explain, and he’ll tell you he has to be better. Never seen so many plays, he’s out of position at times.”
Lindor dismissed the notion his spring training injury contributed to his poor start. He also said any extra responsibility to produce isn’t weighing on him differently than in past seasons.
“There’s always been pressure and I’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself, because I expect a lot of myself,” Lindor said. “It’s the same every single year.”
