Starling Marte came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the third inning Tuesday, the Mets up 1-0, with a chance to add to the lead against a starting pitcher who appeared to be on the ropes.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen had given up a hit in the inning and walked three straight batters – Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso – the last free pass forced in a run.
Marte never took the bat off his shoulder, looked at three straight strikes, and the Mets never got a better opportunity to score in the 5-1 loss to Arizona at Chase Field.
Marte, 36, a 14-year veteran in his fourth year with New York, is struggling in a reduced role this season, hitting .188/.292/.313 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 64 at-bats. He was expected to handle the short side of a DH platoon, but with the injury to Jesse Winker he may see more playing time. The start vs. the righty Gallen was his 16th at DH. He’s played only four innings in the outfield.
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If Carlos Mendoza is going to continue to stick with Marte, it might be time to move him down the batting order. He is 3-for-20 hitting cleanup this year.
No one, however, has taken the role and run with it for Mendoza. Opening Day cleanup hitter Mark Vientos is hitting .220/.301/.370 and Brandon Nimmo‘s slashing .211/.272/.406.
It’s unlikely Mendoza would consider messing with the top three in the batting order, which despite the slower-than-hoped-for start from Soto, has produced a lot of offense.
I would move forward with a Vientos/Nimmo cleanup platoon, play Marte only against lefties and drop him down to eighth in the order behind Francisco Alvarez when he is in the lineup.
“He’s at the point in his career that he wants to win,” Mendoza said during spring training of Marte. “He’s willing to do whatever it takes to help win baseball games. Whether that is coming off the bench, whether that is a DH, it’s a different role.”
