Eduardo Escobar Heating up at Right Time for New York Mets
Heat check.
Third baseman Eduardo Escobar's bat has caught fire at just the right time for the New York Mets, who are in the midst of a tight division race with the Atlanta Braves.
Since returning from an IL stint for an oblique strain on August 27, Escobar is hitting a red hot .347 with six home runs and 13 RBI. In the month of September, the 33-year-old is batting .361 with a 1.133 OPS.
On Saturday, Escobar's three-run homer helped the Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates for the third straight day, prior to their completion of a four-game sweep on Sunday.
"Luckily things are going the way they're going when the team needs them more," Escobar told SNY through team translator Alan Suriel.
Escobar's recent torrid stretch has been a complete turnaround from the disappointing first season he was enduring in Queens. Before getting injured, Escobar was slashing .216/.269/.384 with just 12 homers. Now, he has brought his numbers up to .237/.289/.430, 18 homers, 57 RBI and a .719 OPS.
While Escobar's hot streak has helped save his own season statistically, it is more importantly helping the Mets fend off the Braves, who are one game behind them in the NL East race with just 14 games left to play.
The Mets need all the help they can get if they want to lock up the NL East crown down the stretch, and Escobar is one slugger, who has stepped up when his team has needed him the most.
Read More:
- MLB Insider: Mets to 'Strongly Consider' Bringing Carlos Beltran Back
- Benches Clear Between Mets, Pirates After HBP
- MLB Insider Believes Mets Will Make Play for Aaron Judge in Free Agency
Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
