Sept. 16 – The final twist in the New York Mets’ roller-coaster season could depend on the results of an MRI that star shortstop Francisco Lindor is scheduled to undergo Monday.
The Mets hope to have clarity on Lindor’s status before Monday night, when they prepare for a crucial three-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals in a battle of National League East rivals.
Left-hander Sean Manaea (11-5, 3.35 ERA) is expected to start for the Mets against Nationals right-hander Jake Owen (10-12, 4.19).
The Mets will begin their final homestand of the regular season on Sunday afternoon after losing to the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in a three-game series. The Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 4-3 and swept the Miami Marlins in three games, their last on the road.
The loss had no impact on the Mets (81-68) in the race for the final NL wild-card spot. New York remains tied with the Atlanta Braves, who gave up seven runs in the ninth inning Sunday night to lose 9-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two teams have 13 games remaining, three of them in Atlanta next week.
But Lindor’s status in extra innings was in doubt because the NL MVP candidate was limited to eight innings against the Phillies because of back pain. Lindor exited in the seventh inning of Friday’s 11-3 win and missed Saturday’s 6-4 loss — the first game he missed this season.
Lindor started Sunday and led off the inning with a single, but he slowed down by the time he reached first base. He started at shortstop in the bottom of the first inning and was replaced by Luis Angel Acuna in the second inning.
Lindor has hit .302 with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs in 104 games since entering the leadoff spot for the Mets on May 18, and the Mets had stretches of 11 games below .500 in late May and early June. He said he had been playing with back soreness for about two weeks.
“When you have back problems or a back injury, your back controls your whole body,” Lindor said.
The Nationals (68-81) are one loss away from losing their fifth consecutive season since winning the World Series in 2019.
Eight players in the Nationals’ starting lineup Sunday were 26 or younger, including rookie James Wood, who hit the first two-home run hit of his career two days before his 22nd birthday. MacKenzie Gore, 25, earned the win, pitching six innings of two-hit ball.
“It’s great to see them improve every day,” Nationals head coach Dave Martinez said. “It’s great to see them do what we think they can do and be successful.”
Manaea did not factor into Wednesday’s decision, when he allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings in the Mets’ 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. In four career games (three starts) against the Nationals, he has a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA. The lefty played no role in the decision after allowing two runs (earned) in seven innings in New York’s 7-2 win over Washington, D.C., on July 2.
Irving earned the win Wednesday after allowing one run in six innings as the Nationals beat the Braves 5-1. He is 1-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against the Mets, including a 1-1 record with a 3.86 ERA in two starts this season.
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