Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff McNeil had a nice game in what was otherwise a forgettable night for the New York Mets, who were crushed 13-2 by the San Diego Padres Wednesday evening at Petco Park.
The 30-year-old McNeil went 2-for-4 and drove in a run for the Mets. It was the second baseman’s 20th multi-hit game of the season.
McNeil’s first hit of the night was the result of a bunt off of one of Sean Manaea‘s sinkers in the second inning. That stood as the Mets only hit until Eduardo Escobar singled with no outs in the seventh inning.
McNeil then followed Escobar in the seventh with his second hit of the game. He hit a line drive off Manaea’s back which was deflected, allowing McNeil to leg out a single and allowing J.D. Davis to score the Mets’ first run of the evening.
Manaea relied heavily upon his sinker in this game, with the vast majority of his pitches being thrown for sinkers. That worked in McNeil’s favor, as the sinker is his second favorite pitch to hit in 2022, behind only the changeup. McNeil has seen 167 sinkers this season and is batting .385 with a .449 wOBA against the pitch. In his three at-bats against Manaea, McNeil saw eight sinkers and two sliders. His two hits came off sinkers while his one flyout in the fifth inning came off a slider.
The Mets’ offense enjoyed a dominant first game against the Padres on Monday before faltering these last two games. While McNeil did not put together a dominant series, he was able to reach base in all three games as he went 4-for-11 with a run scored, two RBIs, and a hit by pitch.
In 55 games played this season, McNeil is batting .314/.368/.443 with 27 runs scored, 14 doubles, three home runs, and 28 RBIs. McNeil’s .314 batting average is currently third-best in the National League behind Paul Goldschmidt (.341) and Manny Machado (.329).
