Javy provides spark as Mets topple Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- Javier Báez stood atop the second-base bag, pumping both fists in the air after successfully gliding across the dirt near the bag. Báez had just turned a routine base hit into a hustle double, sparking the second of the Mets’ three run-scoring rallies Sunday in a 7-2 win over the Dodgers. In so doing, he gave them glimpses of an element they have sorely missed.

“I think Javy’s presence immediately impacted our offense,” manager Luis Rojas said.

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If the Mets are to arrest the momentum of their high-velocity fall down the NL East standings, they will need a flicker of hope from somewhere. Perhaps Báez can be that spark. He is unlike any other Mets hitter. He chases pitches out of the zone far more often than most of his teammates. At his worst, he is overly aggressive and sometimes confounding.

He is also boisterous, dynamic, and the type of player who has already -- despite relatively poor numbers overall -- given the Mets a series of game-changing hits since they acquired him at the Trade Deadline.

“Even when I was out, I was trying to bring my energy and bring my happiness to the team, to the dugout,” Báez said. “I know we’re going through a struggle right now. We understand we’re playing really good teams. I think we have the talent to be up there. I hope it comes back to us pretty soon.”

Upon returning from a 10-day stint on the injured list due to back spasms, Báez immediately set about the process of duct taping the Mets back together at Dodger Stadium. Doubling twice, scoring twice and driving home two runs from the No. 3 hole in the lineup, Báez supplemented J.D. Davis’ outburst (a homer and four RBIs) in leading the Mets to just their fifth win in their last 29 games against Los Angeles.

His process was as notable as his result. Despite seeing zero live pitching for 10 days while sidelined, Báez did not delay in making an impact, one-hopping the fourth pitch he saw to the left-field wall. He came around to score on Davis’ ensuing single, before doubling and scoring again on Davis’ homer in the seventh. The second double, which Báez engineered by sprinting hard to second after the ball fell in front of AJ Pollock, gave him four extra-base hits among eight total hits with the Mets.

Combined with Davis’ output and Marcus Stroman’s six effective innings, it was more than enough for the Mets to salvage the finale of this four-game series.

“I think immediately, that’s something that the team can feed off of,” Rojas said. “You saw the slide at second base, two doubles, just hustle baseball. Those are some of the good things that I think he can transmit to the other players.”

Consider it an effect that could magnify once starting shortstop Francisco Lindor returns from his own nearly six-week stint on the IL -- perhaps as soon as Tuesday, when the Mets open a 10-game homestand with the first of three against the Giants. One of the voices who helped convince the Mets to acquire Báez at the deadline, Lindor will reclaim the starting shortstop job and push Báez to second once he returns. Together, the childhood friends and World Baseball Classic teammates should form one of the most dynamic double-play combinations in franchise history.

The alignment will produce a cascade of effects on the rest of the roster, cutting into the playing time of Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith, and perhaps also Davis. To prepare for it, Rojas inserted McNeil into left field for the first time this season after he pinch-hit in the sixth inning, with plans to use him at that position more frequently in future games. Although McNeil is a natural infielder, the Mets are committed to keeping Báez’s bat -- and electricity -- in their lineup.

“I’ve been trying to be out there,” Báez said. “Finally, I went out there today and we got a win.”

And if Báez can have a similar sort of effect on Lindor, who could use a spark of his own after batting just .228/.326/.376 with 11 home runs over his first 87 games as a Met, the team will be all too glad to take it. Earlier this weekend, Lindor admitted that fans can “criticize me and say whatever you want, because … they’re all right. I haven’t performed.”

“I’m really excited about being out there with him,” Báez said. “I’m really excited for him to come back, and he can’t wait to come back.”