Juan Soto may have gotten the Mets on the board first with his leadoff home run to start the game against the Colorado Rockies, but it was Marcus Semien who had the best night offensively for New York.
Finishing 4-for-5, including a double and home run of his own (just his second of the season), Semien’s most productive game at the plate this season helped the Mets beat the Rockies, 10-5, and give them their third win in a row.
Semien’s big night came after he began the road trip 2-for-15 and in the middle of a rough start to his first season in New York after getting traded from the Texas Rangers during the offseason.
So, not only was his performance important for the Mets, it served as a reminder of what kind of player Semien can be when he’s at his best.
“Just trying to stay locked in. Keep it simple, really,” Semien said. “If they throw the ball down the middle, keep it simple and just keep working on what I’m working on in the cage to get my swing going.”
Up until this point, Semien’s swing hadn’t been doing much for New York. In fact, he entered Wednesday’s game with a paltry .208/.259/.272 slash line and was constantly hitting the ball on the ground. So seeing the 14-year veteran get balls in the air again and swing the bat with authority is certainly a sight for sore eyes.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has seen Semien play for a long time and knows when he’s hitting the ball like he did on Wednesday, he’s locking in.
“He was aggressive early in the zone,” Mendoza said. “He was short to the ball, he was able to use the whole field, he drove the ball, especially that homer to the pull side the last at-bat. That’s a really good sign.
“I’ve seen this guy play for a long time and when he’s going well he’s doing that. He’s an aggressive hitter, he’s going to attack pitches and like I said it was just good to see him have results.”
The four-hit night raised Semien’s batting average more than 20 points, from .208 to .231. His OPS also took a big jump, going from .531 to .602.
There’s still a lot of work to be done to restore Semien’s first season in Queens and get him back to his career OPS of .753, but what better place to get it going than Coors Field where the Mets play one more game before leaving town.
“You want to have good games in this ballpark,” Semien said. “It’s a good place to hit, it’s a big outfield and the ball carries.”
Sure, it might be harder than ever for Semien to recapture his former glory days after two full seasons with an OPS below .700 with the Rangers, but hard work doesn’t scare Semien.
“It’s been a tough stretch for him but the guy is as consistent as anyone in there,” Mendoza said. “He works extremely hard and I’m glad that he finally got a really good game for us.”
“Great player, great hitter,” Soto said about Semien. “I feel like he’s getting his rhythm back so I can’t wait to keep seeing him doing that.”
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