'A great time to be a Met': Lindor's 2-homer night powers Mets past Phils

NEW YORK -- Asked last week about his ability to avoid another hellish slump to open the season, Francisco Lindor didn't hesitate. “Stay in the moment,” he said. “Don’t let what happened yesterday affect what’s going to happen today.”

It’s one thing to say it. It’s quite another to make it happen, yet Lindor has had little trouble with that. He homered twice in the Mets’ 5-4 win over the Phillies on Monday, further erasing memories of his difficult first week while launching New York to its fifth consecutive victory. The Mets have won 13 of their past 17 games overall, including 10 of 11 at Citi Field.

“He’s free in a way where it’s like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to be myself,’” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “That’s what he’s doing right now, and he’s getting results.”

Facing longtime NL East nemesis Aaron Nola, Lindor cracked his third leadoff homer of the season -- and second in as many games -- before adding a three-run shot in the seventh to seal the victory. Lindor’s five homers are two shy of his career high for April, set back in 2017. Since shaking off an 0-for-12 slump to begin the season, he’s batting .329 with nine extra-base hits in 19 games, plus a stolen base, 11 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

It’s the same type of output Lindor produced last year from mid-May through October, when he finished second to Shohei Ohtani in National League MVP voting. Only this season, he’s doing it essentially from the jump.

“He can impact the game in so many different ways,” said designated hitter Jesse Winker, who also homered for the Mets’ other run. “He looks amazing at the plate. It’s really fun to watch. It’s like day in and day out, he does something special, so it’s cool to see.”

Lindor’s support was more than enough for Tylor Megill, who matched a career high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. It also provided enough cushion for the Mets to endure a late hiccup, when Edwin Díaz allowed a three-run homer to Bryson Stott to tighten the score.

But that uncomfortable feeling lasted only a moment, before the Mets piled back into a happy clubhouse while Lindor conducted another hero’s interview on the field.

“It’s a great time to be a Met right now,” Megill said.

That’s not exclusively because of Lindor, considering the heavy contributions of the pitching staff and the presences of other boppers in New York’s lineup. Statistically speaking, Lindor isn’t having as strong of a month as teammate Pete Alonso.

Yet even in a clubhouse featuring Alonso, Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo, Lindor has clearly become the soul of this team. The Mets go as he goes. That means early in the season as well as late.

For most players, an 0-for-12 slump to start the campaign wouldn’t have been particularly noteworthy. For Lindor, it was, both because of his stature and the fact that he skidded badly to begin three of his first four seasons with the Mets. Given such history, it would have been easy for Lindor to grow anxious about the prospect of another early downturn lasting into May, June or beyond.

Instead, Lindor ripped off an eight-game hitting streak to begin April and has hit safely in 17 of 19 games this month. His hot streak has included a mini power surge in recent days, with four home runs and six RBIs over his last four games.

“He wants to contribute so hard, and he wants it so bad for the team that at times, I feel like he can get in his own way,” Mendoza said. “I feel like now, he’s more like, ‘I’ve just got to be myself. That’s what he’s doing right now, and he’s getting a lot of results.”

If this type of production continues, Lindor will surely find himself in MVP conversations again this summer. He’ll be a favorite to make the National League All-Star team for the first time in his career.

Most important to Lindor, however, is the fact that the Mets are parlaying his offensive prowess into team success. At 16-7, they’re tied with the Dodgers and Padres for the best record in the Majors. They’re also three games clear of the Phillies in the NL East.

A great time to be a Met, indeed.

“He’s 100 percent right -- it’s a great organization,” Lindor said of Megill’s statement. “It’s a fantastic group of guys. It’s an amazing front office, and everybody wants it. I’m super proud of being a New York Met, for sure.”