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It was a frustrating Friday night for the Mets who couldn’t quite recover from allowing eight runs in the first two innings, but there were some positives to take from a 9-6 loss to the Braves at Citi Field. One of those positives was the first plate appearance in a Met uniform by Darin Ruf.

Acquired at the trade deadline from the San Francisco Giants, Ruf was hardly a sexy blockbuster addition but he was seen as a valuable piece that could contribute to the offense through the dog days of summer, down the stretch and, more importantly, in the postseason. Furthermore, the veteran has absolutely mashed against lefties throughout his career and that was a weapon the Mets were lacking.

Having acquired a big power bat in Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates before the deadline, Mets general manager Billy Eppler decided to use two players for the designated hitter spot. By opting to platoon Vogelbach and Ruf as the DH, it gives this team some flexibility in the lineup going forward.

That was certainly the case on Friday. With righty Ian Anderson on the mound to start the game for the Braves, Vogelbach was the starting DH and he went 0-for-2 with a walk. But, after the Braves brought lefty reliever Dylan Lee into the game to replace Anderson in the fifth inning, Mets manager Buck Showalter took his opportunity to bring Ruf into the fold as a pinch hitter.

It was inspired thinking as Ruf made an instant impact, hitting a double off the wall in right field to score both Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil in an at-bat that couldn’t have gone much better. It was a huge, huge hit at that point of the game given that it got the Mets to within four runs of the Braves. Granted, it didn’t count for a lot in the end but the fact Ruf was able to come into the game and make such a significant impact highlights the veteran’s in-game experience and his ability to step up in big spots.

“I think it is understood,” Ruf said when asked about being brought into a game to face a lefty reliever. “It is not told to me but, throughout my experience and my role on teams over the years, I know I need to be ready for every opportunity like that whether they decide to pull the trigger in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth. Whenever that opportunity comes, I have to be ready for it.”

Ready for the moment Ruf was and Mets fans got a quick look at just how lethal he can be against lefties. And, when you look at his splits this season, it hammers home just how valuable a piece Ruf can be as part of a platoon at DH. In 75 games against righties, he’s hitting .190/.301./.266 with two home runs, six doubles, 14 RBI, 24 walks and 52 strikeouts in 158 at-bats. Compare that to 64 games against lefties where he’s slashing .257/.366/.531 with a .897 OPS, four doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI, 16 walks and 33 strikeouts.

If you want a clearer pitcher of Ruf’s effectiveness as a platoon hitter, then let’s take a look at his career splits. In 905 career plate appearances against righties, the 36-year-old is .217/.302/.369 with 36 doubles, one triple, 28 home runs, 96 RBI, 88 walks and 272 strikeouts. Now, in 657 career plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Ruf has hit .283/.380/.551 with a .931 OPS, 39 home runs, 28 doubles, two triples, 101 RBIs, 79 walks and 152 strikeouts.

Those splits, both this season and throughout his long career in the majors, paints a perfect picture as to how the Mets plan to use Ruf this year. They will bring him into games specifically to face lefties and, as was the case on Friday, Ruf’s ability to absolutely mash against left-handed pitchers will pose opponents with matchup nightmares on a nightly basis. While a small sample size, using Ruf as part of a two-headed monster platoon at DH with Vogelbach could prove to be a masterstroke move by the Mets. It certainly worked on Friday.