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One of the main driving forces behind the plethora of success the New York Mets have enjoyed this year has been the ability of different players coming through in the clutch on different nights. You need certain parts of your lineup to carry others on certain occasions, and Eduardo Escobar certainly carried the offense on Friday night.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Escobar since he returned from the injured list. The veteran was put on the shelf with a sore left oblique and, in the meantime, he lost his spot at third base to rookie Brett Baty who provided the kind of pure hitting at the plate that Escobar hasn’t at times this season.

Additionally, the 33-year-old entered Friday night in a slump having gone 3-for-16 at the plate since his return from injury. Furthermore, he had struggled against righties all season having hit just .206 against RHP. With both Baty and Luis Guillorme on the shelf, that left Escobar to face Nationals righty Josiah Gray.

And, man, did Escobar deliver.

After beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a huge, huge series win, the Mets were trying to avoid a letdown against the Nats, and Escobar proved to be the straw that stirred the drink for the offense. He set the tone with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning and he finished the game 1-for-2 with a walk and 3 RBI. It had been a while since Escobar had such a positive impact on a game and he was just happy to contribute to a big win.

“It feels good,” Escobar said. “It has honestly been a while since I’ve spoken to you guys but it really feels good to be able to have a game like that, to be able to continue to win and to be able to contribute in any way that I can. I’m going to control what I can control, honestly. That’s the main thing I can focus on and I’m going to be able to focus on working hard, coming in early every day and really doing that. Obviously, everyone wants to be able to have a game like I had everyday, but I just have to go out there, control what I can control, go out there and play hard and do whatever Buck (Showalter) wants me to do.”

As mentioned, Escobar had struggled against righties this season – slashing just .206/.268/.342 – but he was able to have his way against Gray on Friday. His home run in the second traveled 410 feet to right-center field, and he was able to draw a walk from Gray in the fourth inning. And Escobar finished his hot night at the plate with an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to extend the Mets’ lead. Escobar’s early homer was his first since July 26 and his first lefty homer since July 13. However, despite enjoying rare success against a righty, Escobar will continue to just focus on working hard no matter who he faces.

Escobar is hitting .217/.269/.389 with 13 home runs, 47 RBI and a .658 OPS this year, and his lack of consistency with the bat and his struggles against righties have led to a platoon at third base. However, back to being the everyday third baseman due to injuries, the Mets will need production from Escobar, who feels the time on the shelf has allowed him to get back to the player that went to the All-Star Game in 2021.

“Playing every day is important but we’re at the point where we have to win as many games as possible,” Escobar said. “We’re really trying to make a big impact in this next month but, at the end of the day, I have to control what I can control and I will do whatever the manager wants me to do. It is really just remaining positive and going out there and playing and doing my part. A game (like Friday) really helps a lot with a player’s confidence.

“This year I haven’t had the results I’ve wanted but I’ve been able to speak to a lot of players on the team like Francisco Lindor, like Pete Alonso who have really given me a lot of advice on how to approach things. I was able to step back and see what I was doing wrong and it also allowed me to get back to 100 percent with all that time off. I was watching video from last year and the year before that to see what I was doing right and ever since I came back from the IL I feel I’ve been the player I’ve always been in my career.”

You need production from the corner positions in order to be successful in baseball, and the Mets will hope that Escobar draws a lot of confidence from his exploits on Friday and uses that as a springboard on which to truly elevate his game and provide the kind of offense they were hoping for when they signed the veteran to a two-year, $20 million contract back in the offseason.