The joke between Buck Showalter and Jeff McNeil is that the ball is hit where it is needed to test McNeil's foot. It is that.
If you stab McNeil into second base, you'll have to charge the grounder and lose balance, just as you did a few days ago. Sliding McNeil to the left fielder requires him to return to the warning track to make a catch, as he did in the first inning on Sunday.
"The ball is trying to find you," McNeil said.
McNeil passed both tests on the field and became the first catalyst for the rally in five games since returning from a week's absence due to hamstring tensions. Won the Texas Rangers4-1 in Citi Field on Sunday.
"If he doesn't belong to the All-Star team, I don't know how to do it," Showalter said. "I'm not one of those who forget everything all year long just because they don't hit every turn at bat."
Showalter and McNeil talk about which one more often. His defensive position puts less strain on his feet. Conclusion? That is everyone's guess.
"If we knew what kind of ball would be hit by you, we would both be different," Shaw Alter said. Said. "His legs are fine. No pain or problems. I think it will be a bit tentative until he's a few days late. But I'm Jeff in the middle of the moment aiming for it. I know — he goes from 1st to 3rd [base] or tries to catch the baseball. ”
McNeil in the left field since June 19th The first start was quiet after the first inning until Ender Inciarte took over as a defensive change at the top of the top of the ninth inning. At the tie-in-grand on the plate, Insiate chased the final of the game in the gap.
By that time, McNeil had already done his damage. After Pete Alonso reached second base with an error leading fourth, McNeil pulled the tiebreaker's RBI double to the right-wing corner. Eduardo Escobar played the same number of games on his third home run, 4-1.
"I've been out for a few days and it's always hard," McNeil said. "When I got to the plate there, I was trying to put Pete in third place. It was probably the one time I wasn't trying to get a hit. Fortunately, I was able to do that. "
McNeil returned to the 8th hole on June 28th. This is a spot he has occupied 18 times, but it does not maximize batting average .360 on the base runner. He has been 12 to 1 since his return before the 100th double of his career.
"I'm wary of [my feet] coming off because of what happened last week, a few times in the last few days," McNeil said. "I'm trying to play wisely. [Sunday] was a good test. I was able to run 100% a few times and it made me feel great. It feels good to be myself again.
McNeil delivered on Sunday as Alonso's protection from the 5th hole. There is still room for McNeil.
"He looks like he has 50 or 60 RBIs, so he's always a little surprised when he sees the board," Shaw Alter said of McNeil, who drove in 34 this season. rice field. "He did a lot of big runs for us."
