ATLANTA — JD Martinez is a veteran of many important late-season games, but that experience doesn’t carry much weight as a slumping player.
And Martinez is really sinking.
He arrived at Truist Park on Tuesday in an 0-for-32 slump, prompting manager Carlos Mendoza to leave him out of the starting lineup against the Braves.
Jesse Winker was in the lineup as the Mets DH and went 0-for-4 Mets loss 5-1.
“We’re in a playoff and obviously I want to be there, but I just want to win – that’s the most important thing,” Martinez said before the game. “We have our best hand out there right now, the hottest hand and right now I haven’t been hot. The other guys have been hotter.”
Mendoza said there was a possibility Martinez would start Wednesday with lefty Chris Sale as the Braves’ scheduled pitcher.
“I work hard and I’m too good a hitter to keep it up,” Martinez said. “It’s one of those things where I just have to keep throwing away and it will turn around.”
Martinez entered the day with an abysmal .271 OPS in September.
That included going 1-for-44 at the plate (his lone hit was a single).