NEW YORK — On the same day he got elected to start an All-Star Game for the first time, Francisco Lindor was dropped from the leadoff spot with the New York Mets in a major tailspin.
And the move paid off immediately.
After making 191 consecutive starts at the top of the lineup, Lindor batted second as the designated hitter Wednesday in the finale of a day-night doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and their rookie sensation, right-hander Jacob Misiorowski.
''Whatever it takes to win,'' Lindor said. ''I don't have to hit in one place. I'll hit wherever the team thinks is the best thing.''
Brandon Nimmo returned to the leadoff slot and launched a grand slam off the hard-throwing Misiorowski in the second inning. Lindor followed with his 17th homer, then added an RBI single with two outs in the sixth and a run-scoring double with two outs in the eighth as New York won 7-3 to stop a four-game skid.
''Look, when you're talking about two really good players, for me as a manager to make those types of decisions, it's a lot easier when they're all-in,'' Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said. ''It's a privilege for me. And I'm glad that they went out there and they executed and we got good results today.''
A slumping Lindor went 0 for 4 as New York mustered only two hits during a 7-2 loss in the opener, leaving him 2 for 29 with one walk in his past seven games. Before the nightcap he was 8 for 60 (.133) in 15 games since June 15, and his batting average had plummeted from .289 with an .858 OPS on June 7 to .255 with a .766 OPS through Game 1 of the twinbill.
Nimmo was bumped up to leadoff, a role he was accustomed to before Mendoza moved Lindor from third in the order to first in May 2024, citing the success the switch-hitter enjoyed atop the lineup earlier in his career with Cleveland.
