It is no secret that the New York Mets are looking for a spark offensively. Jose Reyes is slumping, and with Yoenis Cespedes and Travis d’Arnaud out of the lineup, the Mets are in need of some offense.
Enter Michael Conforto.
Conforto, who hit his third home run of the season on Friday, is hitting .364 with five RBI and six runs scored in six starts this season.
After leading off the past two nights, Conforto will make his third consecutive start for the Metropolitans, this time in the two spot.
“He’s swinging the bat great right now,” manager Terry Collins said in his pregame press conference. “His numbers against left handed pitching recently have not been great but right now he’s swinging really well.”
Collins is showing faith in the Oregon State alumnus as he will start him against left-hander Gio Gonzalez.
“We’re going to see if that plays out,” Collins said in regards to Conforto’s hot hitting. “I’m anxious to see how he does today against Gio. We’re going to have him hit second. Juan (Lagares) has hit this guy in the past so we thought we would lead him off. We will see if Juan can get on and if the big boys after him can drive him in.”
Conforto is hitting an impressive .333 in front of the Citi Field faithful this season and has been a force for the Mets whenever he is needed.
Defensively, Conforto has been solid for the Mets with 10 defensive runs saved in 126 games.
“I know from talking to family and friends that [the fans] are saying, ‘Keep it up and things will eventually work out.’ They tell me I have support from fans,’’ Conforto said. “So, yeah, I definitely can feel that. It’s good to have that support behind me. It just tells me to keep going and keep doing what I’m doing.
“I’ve definitely seen people wanting me to play. I’ve got Instagram, I’m tagged on all kinds of stuff, so I see that and it’s great. I appreciate it. That’s always a good thing to have, the fan base behind you. So I definitely appreciate that. … It’s motivation to just keep going.”