WASHINGTON — David Wright’s “rest” on Wednesday apparently invigorated the entire Mets lineup last night.
In the kind of offensive display manager Jerry Manuel could previously only dream about, the Mets amassed 15 hits in their 10-7 victory over the Nationals.
Wright, back in the lineup after receiving a night off to clear his head, set the tone with a three-run double in the first inning against Luis Atilano.
Wright was not happy with Manuel’s decision to sit him on Wednesday, a day after the third baseman struck out three times in Atlanta and committed a throwing error in the ninth that accounted for the Braves’ winning run.
But Wright was back in his familiar fifth spot, behind new cleanup hitter Ike Davis, who had three hits. So the day off made a difference for Wright, correct?
“I still want to play every day,” Wright said after finishing with four RBIs. “I don’t know if it helped or it didn’t.”
Two other underachievers, Jeff Francoeur and Jose Reyes, also delivered big hits.
Francoeur stroked a two-run single in the fifth that gave the Mets a 6-1 lead before Reyes added an RBI single. Rod Barajas jumped into the fray with a two-run homer in the sixth. The blast was Barajas’ 10th of the season.
“We have stars on this team, and when they are clicking it’s going to be awesome,” Davis said.
“Hopefully we get more games like that where we actually all hit in the same game.”
Francoeur, who had been stuck in an 0-for-20 rut before hitting a homer on Tuesday in Atlanta, finished 2-for-5 last night and said he is feeling comfortable at the plate again.
Though Jason Bay is still not hitting home runs – who would have thought he would have nine fewer than Barajas on May 21? — he is making solid contact at the plate. Bay’s average jumped to .281 with a 3-for-5 performance last night.
“When we take advantage of teams’ mistakes, draw walks, keeping the line moving, that is when we’re at our best,” Wright said.
Put in perspective, the 10 runs were two more than the Mets had scored in their previous three games combined.