And McNeil knew it, telling Barnes that this was “as worse as I’ve ever been.” The Mets, though, believed otherwise: If he could streamline his swing, stay closer to the ground, rotate his body more, and concentrate on hitting line drives to the pull side, the hits would come. The result?

The New York Mets are trying to make a run at the World Series this year, but their roster could look very different next season.

Ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals, McNeil was unexpectedly removed from the starting lineup. It was especially surprising given the starting pitcher for the Nationals, MacKenzie Gore, has been terrorized by McNeil—who’s collected eight hits in 12 at-bats against him.

The Nationals scored three runs off Sean Manaea in the fifth (with an assist from trade deadline acquisition Tyler Rogers) in a game the Mets led 3-0. Rogers let up another run in the sixth, while Ryne Stanek got lit up for four runs in the eighth.

Jeff McNeil rips a line-drive double down the right-field line and two runs score, increasing the Mets' lead to 3-0 in the top of the 3rd

Stays hot at plate

Jeff McNeil’s bat has hit lefties and righties; hit in the clutch and in the ordinary; hit against starters and relievers; hit at home and on the road.

New York Mets position players Mark Vientos and Jeff McNeil explain how nice it was to have a strong effort all around by the team in their 8-1 win over the Nationals. Plus, David Peterson commented how he found success during his eight inning performance.