Brett Baty got the chance to play at second base for the first time in the big leagues on Friday night in Houston and had a quiet night.
Thanks to Tylor Megill and four relievers out of the Mets’ bullpen, there was little action save one line drive on the right side of the infield as they struck out 10 batters in a 3-1 win over the Astros.
Baty, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout at the plate, was forced to make a tough play, turning a 5-4-3 double-play to end the fifth inning. His throw from the bag at second was in time, but the out was saved by Pete Alonso making a good stretch to dig the ball out.
Of course, there was one play to be made on the Mets’ right side of the infield, but it happened to come in the eighth inning after Baty was lifted in the top of the seventh for Luisangel Acuña to pinch hit.
With one out and a runner on first, Yordan Alvarez yanked a ball in the hole and Acuña made a diving stop to his left before jumping up and tossing the ball to Alonso at first. Carlos Mendoza called it “a sneaky good play.”
While the Astros’ left-hander Steven Okert led to the decision to lift Baty in a game the Mets led, Mendoza said inserting Acuña for defense in late-inning situations is something they may do.
“Even though Brett has been doing a really good job, we’re looking at a plus, plus defender that’s played the position a lot more,” he said. “There’s gonna be times where Baty stays in there, but today, I thought once they brought that lefty in, I thought it was the right thing to do.”
(Okert got Acuña on strikes to end the inning).
Of course, late-inning decisions like this will all depend on who you are facing and the situation of the other team’s bullpen, Mendoza added.
Despite the late change, the plan is for Baty to get a lot of time at second. The manager’s message to him after he was told he would be on the roster to start the season: “Be yourself.”
"Same thing that you're doing here. Whenever we get to the regular season, just continue to be yourself. Play your game,” he said ahead of Friday’s game. “Don’t feel like you have to get four hits, three hits every day to be in the lineup the next day. Let us make those decisions; just control what you can control.
“Trust the work, he’s put in a lot of work this offseason. We saw results in spring training. Now it’s up to him to go out there and continue to be himself and trust the work.”