Here is one other thing for Buck Showalter to think about in his lineup construction, as Eduardo Escobar gave a reminder Tuesday that he, too, is worthy of playing time in a third-base mix that has gotten crowded for the Mets.
Escobar, who hit at the underside of the order in a 2-0 victory over the Phillies, gave that reminder in the shape of a dinky single off Connor Brogdon within the seventh inning, which scored an insurance run.
He was certainly one of two Mets — the opposite being Starling Marte — to give you multiple hits in the sport, which sped by in two hours and 20 minutes as neither side could give you much offense.
It was not essentially the most emphatic of RBIs, but Escobar, a switch hitter, is now six-for-his-last-14 against right-handed pitching, dating back to May 14, with a walk mixed in for good measure.
“He’s been very quietly swinging the bat much like what he did last August and September,” Showalter said pregame. “He got player of the month within the National League, people appear to forget that — there wasn’t a greater player within the league than him for a month. So he’s capable.
“He’s approached every at-bat attempting to prove a bit of, only a reminder he’s been a very good player in the massive leagues for a very long time.”
Escobar’s at-bat within the seventh, with Marte and Tommy Pham on base, was a likelihood for Showalter to pinch-hit Brett Baty, who sat Tuesday as a product of Escobar and Mark Vientos being in against lefty Ranger Suarez.
Showalter declined.
“Esky’s been swinging the bat well. We predict he’s a very good defender,” he said. “That point of the sport, I knew that I’d use Brett [for left fielder Tommy] Pham in the event that they got back in the sport, because we are able to move Jeff [McNeil] to left field and put Esky at second. He’s been our most versatile piece there and with a lead, I’m not gonna take that out of the sport.”
If Escobar, who had a 1.024 OPS in May coming into Tuesday, is within the lineup as a matter in fact against righties, then that may be a roadblock for Baty or Vientos to get playing time.
But when he’s hitting like this, then that may be a trade-off Showalter and the Mets will proceed to make.
“I’m super glad for him,” Francisco Lindor said. “He works extremely hard day in and time out, he does what he has to do to place himself in a terrific position. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
