Just Mets

Lucas Duda was stuck in such a slumber for most of the last two months, many onlookers wondered if his 2014 season had been nothing more than a fluke.

It was a fair question. In 45 games between May 31 and July 18, Duda had produced a .549 OPS with only three home runs and 56 strikeouts.

Even his manager began to question Duda’s viability in the lineup, to the point he essentially warned Duda to put up, or take a seat.

“I said, ‘Listen, we’ve got to start producing some runs, or we’ve got to find somebody else,’ Collins said he told Duda.

What was Duda’s answer to his manager?

“I got it,” Collins said Duda told him in response to the message.

Message received, and boy, did he get it.

Duda produced two more home runs and all three of the runs in the Mets come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Nationals on Saturday to secure the club’s first series win against Washington at Citi Field since April, 2013.

“I always thought he was going to have a good second half,” Collins explained about Duda. “But, he’s taken it to heart. He’s a tremendous worker and wants to be good. He’s showing everybody what he can be.”

His work ethic was never in question. during his deep malaise while in San Francisco, Duda was seen sitting with Kevin Long, watching three different videos of his at-bats immediately after he had gone 0-for-4.

He was dedicated to getting himself out of the funk, and he has done so in dramatic fashion.

With his recent seven game stretch, during which he’s produced eight home runs and a 1.861 OPS, he is now on pace for 31 home runs this season, or one more than he hit in 2014.

“I feel much better than I did a month ago,” Duda said.

Duda’s final RBI of the night came in the eighth inning, after Nationals manager decided to walk Yoenis Cespedes with Curtis Granderson on second base and one out. While facing left-hander Matt Thornton, Duda launched his 25th double of the season over left fielder Jayson Werth’s head to plate Granderson and give the Mets a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

“I’ve been in [Matt Williams’] shoes, and that’s not a good feeling. You’ve got a guy we’ve brought in, and obviously one of the great hitters in the game. You’ve got to walk him to face a guy who is red hot. That’s a tough situation.”

“I wasn’t sure what [Williams] was going to do,” Duda said regarding the decision to walk Cespedes. “I really take the ego out of it. [Thornton is] tough on lefties, so I was just trying to put the ball in play and put a good swing on it.”

He did, and he drove home a badly needed win for the Mets on Saturday night.

Right there, that was the difference between the Mets of Friday, and the now retro-fitted Mets with a star hitter in the middle of the lineup. In the same situation on Friday, Williams doesn’t necessarily have to walk someone to face Duda. Instead, he might have been able avoid Duda and pitched to someone who isn’t remotely close to as capable as either he or Cespedes.

That’s why it’s better to have everyday players playing rather than part-time players.

There’s a difference, and it made a clear difference in Saturday’s game.