Jeff McNeil, Dom Smith, Michael Conforto Out Of Mets' Lineup In Must-Win Game Vs. Phillies

With the Mets in need of a win on Saturday, they will be going with a bit of a surprising lineup against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez.

Due to the lefty taking the mound, the Mets are rolling with a right-handed heavy lineup, which is typically the norm against a southpaw.

#Mets lineup vs Ranger Suarez & the Phillies

CF Nimmo
1B Alonso
3B Davis
SS Báez
RF Drury
2B Villar
C McCann
LF Pillar
RHP Tylor Megill

Jeff McNeil out of lineup, he was out on Thurs in series finale loss to Marlins and was supposed play all 3 games this weekend
— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) August 7, 2021

However, the Mets have opted to sit three of their best hitters in a crucial game in Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto.

While Conforto's benching is not as surprising, given that he is batting .132 against lefties this season, Smith has crushed lefties this year, slashing .327/.381/.446 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 101 at-bats.

And with Smith on the bench, the struggling Kevin Pillar is starting in left field, albeit hitting .197 with a .218 on-base percentage versus lefties in 76 at-bats.

When asked about this decision prior to this afternoon's game, manager Luis Rojas said it was due to the opposing pitcher's numbers against lefty bats.

"We went with our righties against Suarez because he has been dominant against lefties," said Rojas. "We know Dom has been very good against lefties, but we still want to go with our righties first."

Suarez has only given up four hits and an unearned run when facing lefties this year across 16.2 innings (57 plate appearances).

"It's this particular lefty," he said. "We started Dom in Miami against a lefty the other day. Suarez has the fastball and changeup (working against lefties) and we think he is a better matchup against righties."

Although Jeff McNeil has hit .250/.361/.269 versus lefties this season, Rojas believes that he has been pulling off against south paws as of late.

Rojas and the Mets also prefer to have Jonathan Villar (.279/.326/.430 against lefties) in the lineup batting from the right side, along with J.D. Davis who has historically hit well against lefties, but is struggling against them this season with a .185 average.

Luckily, Suarez is a reliever who was recently moved into the Phillies' rotation, so he is not fully stretched out yet.

This means the Mets have the ability to make some important substitutions as the game progresses, especially if Suarez only goes three innings like in his last start. But on the other hand, it is tough to not go with your best lineup from the get-go in a critical game, despite the matchup.

Regardless, Rojas and the Mets feel that deploying a right-handed heavy lineup against Suarez will give them an upper hand. Time will tell how this plays out.

Lindor Update

According to Rojas, Francisco Lindor still does not have a timeline to return and is week-to-week.

Lindor is hitting off the tee, running and taking grounders, and the next step for him is to face pitching from his coaches. Afterwards, he will need to take live batting practice, before ramping up and starting a rehab assignment.