Francisco Lindor's impending return a positive Mets desperately need right now

Metaphorically speaking, some needed sunshine peeked through late in the black-cloud day the Mets endured Tuesday.

>After their 9-6 loss to the Cubs at Citi Field, Carlos Mendoza said the club would have nighttime discussions about whether a rehabbing Francisco Lindor could be activated for Wednesday’s doubleheader.

>It’s a possibility, the manager said, and anything that tilts positive rates highly in a blue-and-orange world where so much has gone wrong. Especially if it’s a little weightier than a few successful challenges or some cosmetic ninth-inning runs, both of which were basically the pluses emanating from the Mets’ third-straight loss.

>Otherwise, the Mets got yet another clunker from their rotation, that chronic trouble spot. Kodai Senga looked like his old self in a spotless first inning, but thereafter looked mostly like his more recent self, which is not a good thing.

>AndJuan Soto left with back tightness.

>“His back locked up,” Mendoza said, and Soto came out after the fourth inning. But even if Soto is considered day-to-day, as Mendoza said, it still feels ominous that the manager also said Soto could really feel it when he was trying to get to his “A” swing. The Mets will determine if Soto needs further testing.

>If Lindor, who had two hits and two runs for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, can return and be a threat, perhaps the Mets can find some equilibrium as they try to prove that David Stearns shouldn’t look to sell at the trade deadline. Math and baseball’s generous wild card system dictate that they deserve some time, even at 10 games under .500, but their starting pitching must improve.

>Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea, in that order, will start against the Cubs in the doubleheader, and they’re probably the starters pitching the best right now. Christian Scott, who had begun to blossom nicely, could return soon, too.

>Senga, however, is a wreck, toting a 10.08 ERA. He’s trending toward being un-pitchable after giving up seven runs on three hits in 3.2 innings against the Cubs.

>“David was pretty clear before the game that performing matters here and having outings like these is not going to cut it,” Mendoza said of Senga’s performance. “We need better.”

>“That first inning version of myself, if I can replicate that over and over again, I think I absolutely do belong in the rotation,” Senga said through an interpreter. “However, if I’m struggling to find the strike zone, then it becomes a tougher conversation. That’s a decision that Mendy and the front office will make and I’ll just continue to do what I can and continue to prepare so that I can, when I do go back out there the next time, I can perform at the highest level possible.”

>Seven runs on only three hits? Yes, walks were a huge factor for Senga – again. He walked five and three of those scored, along with the one batter he hit. Mets starters came into the game with the third-worst walk rate in baseball. Overall, the Mets walked seven, a continuation of a problem that dates back several seasons, including in 2024 when they went to the NLCS.

>“It (walks) is absolutely something we’re talking about internally,” Stearns said before the game. “We’ve got to more consistently throw strikes.”

>Even before Senga’s outing, the Mets had the fourth-worst starter ERA in baseball. Losing Clay Holmes in May certainly hurt.

>Freddy Peralta, brought in to top the rotation, has had some struggles and owns a 4.83 ERA. Stearns noted that Peralta has been missing locations he’s hit in the past, which has hindered his effectiveness. Peralta is “working on some mechanical things,” Stearns said.

>“We haven't gotten the level of consistent performances from most of our rotation that we expected and that our players expected coming into the season,” Stearns added. “I think each of our starters would say that there's another level of performance in there, and it's our job as an organization to do everything we can to try to get the best versions of each of those players out.”

>Obviously, the Mets need the rotation to begin soaring, and fast. They’ve stuck with struggling pitchers such as Senga and David Peterson because there aren’t alternatives.

>It puts a strain across the roster. The Mets have given up so many early runs when their starters crater that they often play from behind, supersizing the burden on what can be a spotty offense.

>And they’re not even deep enough into the season for the rotation’s deficiencies to blast chaos through what’s been a good bullpen so far. Last season, the starters failed to pitch deep into games and the resulting reverberation through the relievers helped wreck the Mets’ season.

>For now, the Mets might have to console themselves with Lindor’s return. He’ll certainly lengthen the lineup and help the defense.

>“We also can’t put everything on Francisco to come back at a time when he hasn’t been playing baseball very much and expect him to put us on his back,” Stearns said.

>True enough. The starting pitching will have to help. And quickly.

>Can it? Not if the rotation keeps having nights like Tuesday.