Mets manager Carlos Mendoza reveals reason behind scratching Mark Vientos from lineup

New York Mets star Mark Vientos will be sitting out for a second straight game, not because of injury but because of better matchups when they face Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon on Friday. In place of Vientos at third, Brett Baty will start at third base and bat sixth in the order.

One of the reasons behind the decision was to get left-handed bat Jeff McNeil there. If not for the hip injury during the game against Arizona, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza would have started him at center field, but since that no longer remains an option, McNeil will play as DH.

In the pregame press conference, Mendoza was asked about the decision to let Vientos warm the bench for the second straight game.

“Yeah, so it’s kind of a unique situation here where we’re facing a pretty platoon-heavy pitcher," Mendoza said. "And once I made the decision to DH Jeff — you know, originally I wanted to play him in center — but after he came out of the game the other day, I still wanted him in the lineup. That’s the whole reason behind it: getting the lefty in there.

"It’s not a straight platoon matchup, you know. It just happened to be J-Mo, who I’m pretty familiar with. And I just wanted to get all of them in there," he added.

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Carlos Mendoza's decision to prefer Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil over Mark Vientos proved correct

Mendoza made a bold call for Friday's game by sliding McNeil into the lineup as DH over Vientos. Despite Jameson Taillon having a better record against left-handers than right-handers, Friday saw something different.

Lindor led off the Mets' innings with a home run, followed by Baty's solo home run and McNeil's two-run home run in the second inning. This put the Mets up by three early on. This means Mendoza's strategy to prefer left-handed hitters in the lineup stood corrected.

A throwing error at the bottom of the third allowed Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez to come around and score as the Mets pushed their lead to 5-0.

In the top of the fourth, the Cubs added their first run, thanks to Kyle Tucker's solo home run off Clay Holmes. In the bottom half of that same inning, Juan Soto made the game 6-1 with a solo home run. Soto drove in another run in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI single.

In the final innings of the game, Michael Busch hit a solo home run but the deficit was too large to overcome as the Mets won the game 7-2.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Veer Badani