The New York Mets will close out their three-game set against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field looking to salvage a series win after dropping the middle contest by a 5-2 score.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has shuffled the batting order for the finale, with one of the more notable adjustments involving infielder Bo Bichette. The former Toronto Blue Jays star will bat third rather than in the two-hole where he started the previous night.
Francisco Lindor shifts into the second spot after leading off in the Mets’ most recent loss. That leaves the top of the order looking different as New York tries to generate more consistent offense against a Padres club that has proven difficult to solve so far in the series.
A.J. Ewing is set to lead off and play center field. Lindor follows at shortstop, with Bichette slotted third and manning third base. Carson Benge will hit cleanup and patrol right field, while Jared Young holds down first base in the five-hole.
Francisco Alvarez serves as the designated hitter batting sixth. Brett Baty is in left field and hits seventh, Marcus Semien is at second base in the eight-spot, and Luis Torrens rounds out the order behind the plate.
The lineup change comes as Bichette continues working to find his rhythm in a Mets uniform. Through 126 games this season he has posted 12 home runs, 63 runs batted in and a .268 batting average. Those numbers lag behind the production he delivered a year earlier with Toronto, when he finished with 18 homers, 94 RBI and a .311 average across 139 games.
Still, there are encouraging signs of late. Bichette enters Wednesday’s contest riding a six-game hitting streak and will hope the move to the third spot keeps that momentum rolling.
Mets fans have waited for the free-agent acquisition to settle in after signing over the winter. The early returns have been mixed, yet the recent stretch of consistent contact has raised hopes that better days are ahead for the 28-year-old.
The Padres, meanwhile, arrive for the series finale riding the high of Tuesday’s victory. New York will need strong contributions up and down the order if it wants to avoid a series loss at home.
Bichette’s placement in the three-hole puts him in a traditional run-producing spot, surrounded by Lindor ahead of him and Benge and Young behind him. The configuration is designed to create better protection and more RBI opportunities.
Lindor’s move to the two-spot keeps one of the club’s most experienced hitters near the top while allowing Ewing a chance to set the table. The young outfielder has shown flashes of speed and contact ability that could benefit the entire lineup if he gets on base regularly.
Alvarez’s presence as the designated hitter gives the Mets another power threat in the middle of the order. The catcher has provided occasional pop when healthy, and keeping his bat in the lineup without the defensive workload could pay dividends on a warm August afternoon.
Baty and Semien offer additional depth in the lower third, with both capable of delivering extra-base hits or productive outs depending on the situation. Torrens, a reliable handler of the pitching staff, closes out the order with the ability to work counts and put the ball in play.
How the new arrangement performs will be judged over the course of nine innings, but the decision reflects Mendoza’s willingness to tinker when the offense has sputtered. The Mets have shown they can score in bunches at times this season, yet consistency remains the missing piece.
Bichette’s recent hitting streak suggests the bat is starting to wake up. Whether the third-spot assignment accelerates that process or simply maintains the status quo will become clear soon enough.
The series finale also carries standings implications as both clubs navigate the stretch run. New York is looking to stay relevant in the National League East race, while San Diego continues its own push in the West.
Fans filing into Citi Field will get their first look at the revised order shortly after the first pitch. For Bichette, another solid afternoon could go a long way toward silencing questions about his adjustment to a new city and a new team.
