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The New York Mets could have used a boost heading into the All-Star break, but the Boston Red Sox foiled any such plans with a series sweep on Sunday. As the Mets ended the first half of the season with a 40-57 record, the second-worst in the National League, Francisco Lindor expressed his disappointment after a costly error contributed to their 3-2 loss.

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“I didn’t finish the play, and it’s unacceptable,” Lindor remarked about the failed double play on SNY Mets. “Not playing to the standard that I have, not playing to the organization’s standards. I got to get better.”

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On Sunday, Lindor had a comparatively good day at the plate. He went 2-for-4 and helped his team take a 2-0 lead. The Mets veteran hit an RBI double before adding a solo home run later in the game. However, his costly defensive error overshadowed his offensive performance.

With a 2-0 lead in the ninth, the Mets tasked Devin Williams with the save. With already one out in the frame, Lindor had the chance to execute a game-ending double play.

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Romy Gonzalez hit a routine grounder to Lindor, and if the shortstop’s past plays were anything to go by, fans expected him to make the play with ease. Instead, Lindor fumbled the ball, and it rolled past him. With that, the Mets also lost their opportunity to win the game, failing to record a single out.

“The ball ate me up. Went after it and it just took a higher hop and just hit me on the palm of the hand, palm and wrist area. Just didn’t make the play. Unacceptable,” Lindor explained, per SNY Mets.

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From there, the Mets’ game unraveled as Williams walked Caleb Durbin to load the bases. Another walk to Andruw Monasterio forced in a run, the Red Sox’s first of the game. As Williams struggled to end the inning, Jarren Duran’s RBI single tied the score, sending the game into extra innings.

The Mets’ offense remained cold for the rest of the game, with Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock taking the mound. The Red Sox, on the other hand, secured their winning run as Masataka Yoshida scored on a sacrifice fly from Anthony Seigler. Sunday’s win capped off the Boston Red Sox’s road trip on a high note, as they went 9-0 during the trip.

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Meanwhile, this season, multiple defensive blunders have plagued Lindor.

Back in April, when the Mets faced the Dodgers, Lindor’s defensive play proved costly while the team was already mired in a seven-game losing streak. In the 8-2 loss to the defending World Series champions, Lindor chose not to charge a routine ground ball off Teoscar Hernández’s bat. He then beat it out for an infield single by hustling down the line, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The hit sparked a five-run rally, which was capped by a grand slam from Dalton Rushing.

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As the Mets go into the break, Lindor looks forward to regaining his elite defense from the previous seasons.

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Written by

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Srijanee Chakraborty

435 Articles

Srijanee Chakraborty is a writer at EssentiallySports, where she focuses on covering Major League Baseball. She transitioned into sports journalism from being a dedicated fact-checker—a skill that still shines through in the accuracy and deep-dive reporting of each piece she writes. Her master's degree in English and postgraduate diploma in Mass Communication work together to help her uncover the stories behind the stats. When Srijanee is not tracking baseball action, she can be found obsessing over professional tennis or her favorite fictional characters.

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Deepali Verma

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