New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants: 5 Players To Watch In NL Wild Card Game
Jay Bruce’s start to his Mets tenure went about as poorly as it could have gone. He struggled mightily coming over from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline, something you do not want to do in New York.
The streaky Bruce came to the Mets in a cold spell. He slashed .218/.289/.529 in July with the Reds, but still managed to hit eight home runs with 21 RBI. Things got even worse with the Mets, as he slashed .183/.262/.290 through August, hitting only two home runs with six RBI.
As a result, Terry Collins was forced to cut back on his playing time. Bruce began sitting more and getting pinch hit for late in games. But every streak has to come to an end at some point, and Bruce’s cold spell came to an end at the perfect time.
After sitting out September 23rd, Bruce was called on as a pinch-hitter September 24th and delivered a solo home run. He was in the lineup the next day and for every game the remainder of the season for the Mets.
Bruce will come into the postseason as arguably the Mets hottest hitter. He is riding an eight-game hitting streak, going 12-for-25 (.480 batting average) with four home runs and eight RBI.
Next: Mets vs. Giants: 3 Keys To NL Wild Card Game
Bruce has not had much success against Bumgarner in his career, going 3-for-21 with one home run and four RBI. But, it will be hard for Terry Collins to take him out of the lineup with the success that he has had recently. Collins should ride the hot hand, as runs will be at a premium; if Bruce isn’t in the lineup and the Mets lose, it is something that will be second guessed all offseason.