Mets first baseman Lucas Duda has been a streaky hitter all season. He struggled in the NLDS and for the early part of the NLCS.
But Duda broke out in a big way in Game 4 of the NLCS, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and collecting 5 RBIs. And he has four hits in nine World Series at-bats so far while batting .500 (8-for-16) over his last four playoff games.
Duda had a pair of hits in Game 2 of the World Series, including an RBI single. Those two hits were the only ones the Mets had in all of Game 2. So according to manager Terry Collins, Duda’s hot streak could be the key to getting the team’s offense back on track. Duda’s two hits in Game 2 were both opposite field hits, which is seen as a good sign in Collins’s eyes.
“He’s got enough power that he can hit the ball out of any park. I just hope he stays hot, because we’ve got to get a couple other guys hot that we can get on ahead of him, so he can start driving in some runs.” (MLB.com)
Duda has hit 57 homers and 165 RBIs over the last two seasons as the Mets’ primary first baseman. Even though he has been streaky, when he’s hot, Duda can carry the Mets on his back with his power. He has credited coaches Kevin Long and Pat Roessler for helping to minimize and control the timing of a leg kick that supplies much of his power.
“Any time I can help contribute, you feel good about it,” Duda said. “I like to hit and continue to work on my timing.”
Duda took optional batting practice Thursday at Citi Field in order to maintain his swing. He has fared batter at Citi Field this season, hitting .275 there compared to .215 on the road.
While home runs may be Duda’s biggest strength, he also proved in Game 2 that he can put the ball on the ground sharply and he beat the shift twice by hitting opposite field singles.
“I think those balls were just kind of hit perfectly,” Duda said. “They weren’t hit hard at all. They just kind of found a hole.”
Even though the offense has been held in check for most of the World Series so far, Duda knows as well as anyone that a hot streak can begin at any time and can instantly change the series.
“By no means are we done,” Duda said. “We’ve dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole here, but we’re used to it. We’re used to coming back and fighting back. It should be fun at home.”
