Yet again as the Mets play meaningful September games, Yoenis Cespedes is leading the way for the offense. In Sunday’s 10-3 mauling of the Atlanta Braves, Cespedes’ power was on full display.
He was just 1-for-4 on the day but the one hit he did have was eye opening. A grand slam that put the Mets up big and for good. He ended the day with five RBI and has been on absolute tear since returning from the disabled list. Over his last 15 games, Cespedes has hit to a .298/.369/.596 slash line to go along with five homers and 14 RBI. Manager, Terry Collins knows that this is the time they need their star player most.
“If he’s getting hot, he’s getting hot at the right time,” Collins said. “This is a big stretch for us.” (Newsday)
Cespedes is said to still be dealing with a balky right quad still and declined to leave the game early despite the blowout. He also declined to speak with reports after the game. A Mets spokesperson though said that “he’s going to let his bat do his talking today.”
It has been a great season for Cespedes who has accumulated a .293/.363/.568 slash line in the 2016 campaign. Sunday’s grand-slam was the 30th homer of his season, he now has 78 RBI as well. He has shown that last year’s play was no fluke.
With Sunday’s win, the Mets have taken over the St. Louis Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot as they lost their respective game to Milwaukee. The San Francisco Giants stay one and a half games ahead of New York for the top spot. The Mets open up a series tonight with their only remaining series against an above .500 team as they head to Washington.
