Baty keeps 'coming full force,' does lefty-on-lefty damage in Mets' win

BOSTON -- It spoke volumes about Brett Baty’s progression as a baseball player that when Carlos Mendoza looked to shake up his lineup for Wednesday’s series finale at Fenway Park, the Mets’ manager chose to keep Baty in his starting nine. On paper, Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was a nightmare assignment for Baty, a left-handed hitter with extreme platoon splits. Mendoza played him anyway because he valued Baty’s defense at third base.

On this night, however, it was Baty’s offense that proved most impactful. His go-ahead two-run single off a different left-hander, Brennan Bernardino, lifted the Mets to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox, snapping their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Eager to break a tie in the seventh, the Mets rallied on three consecutive singles off reliever Liam Hendriks. With Baty due to bat, Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to Bernardino, who had been excellent against lefties in the early season. Given that all New York’s right-handed options had started the game against Crochet, pinch-hitting was not a realistic option.

Instead, Baty took the assignment himself, running the count to 2-2 before lacing a thigh-high sinker to the opposite field for two runs.

“There’s something about the way he’s carrying himself on and off the field, in the clubhouse, the way he prepares,” Mendoza said. “That’s what you want to see out of everyone, and especially young players.”

Juan Soto, who struck out three times against Crochet, added a booming sacrifice fly later in the inning. The winning pitcher was Huascar Brazobán, who bailed Tylor Megill out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth -- “Saved me, saved the team,” as Megill put it -- before going on to pitch two more scoreless innings.

But from the jump, this game belonged to Baty, who now owns an .833 OPS since his recall from Triple-A Syracuse on May 5. Facing Crochet in the second inning, Baty pulled a single up the middle to plate the Mets’ first run. He reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second base in the fifth inning before coming to the plate with the game on the line in the seventh.

“Left on left is super tough,” teammate Mark Vientos said, lauding Baty’s recent contributions. “He’s getting consistent opportunity, and that’s pretty much what I see.”

“I’m just trying to come in and be a good player for the New York Mets, and just hit the ball hard, play good defense and try to help the team win,” added Baty.

Over the past two weeks, Baty has done all three of those things with far more regularity than he had in April. He’s finding his way onto Mendoza’s lineup card because of his defense. He’s staying there because of his offense. And the Mets, who were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season heading into Wednesday’s play, are shaking off their issues thanks in large part to Baty’s play.

“Getting sent down, you can either dwell on it and be mad, mixed feelings,” said Megill, who has ridden a similar train between the Majors and Minors in recent seasons. “Or you can go down, keep your head up, keep grinding and wait for your opportunity to come back. He’s come back, and he’s coming full force and doing a lot of positive things. Like tonight, just absolutely killing it.”

Unlike Soto and Francisco Lindor, who added a late homer, Baty’s continued presence here is not guaranteed. The Mets continue to employ a crowded infield mix, with Vientos, Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuña all jockeying for playing time and Ronny Mauricio, the team’s No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, waiting in the wings. A bad week or two would be enough to shove Baty back down the pecking order.

But this is also a meritocracy. For as long as Baty continues to perform, he will continue to play -- even against the Crochets and Bernardinos of the world.

“Staying in there, going the other way and then coming through big time,” Mendoza said. “It’s just really good to see one of your young players perform and continue to play with confidence.”