Carlos Mendoza praises ‘contagious’ hustle of Jose Iglesias in four-hit day
CHICAGO — Jose Iglesias went hitless in his ninth-inning plate appearance, but that at-bat got noticed by his manager as much as his previous four, all of which resulted in hits.
The veteran Mets infielder hit a grounder that easily could have been an inning-ending double play.
But even in a lopsided game, Iglesias hustled to first base and beat the relay throw.
“It tells you all you need to know right there, the way he’s playing the game,” Carlos Mendoza said Friday after the Mets beat the Cubs, 11-1, at Wrigley Field. “It’s contagious, so it’s huge to have a guy like that.”
Iglesias, who started at second base with lefty Shota Imanaga pitching for the Cubs, matched a career-high with four hits and owned a .986 OPS in the three weeks since he was selected from Triple-A Syracuse.
In 13 games at Wrigley Field in his career, he is 22-for-48 (.458).
But with the Cubs scheduled to pitch right-handers Saturday and Sunday — Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad — it’s likely Iglesias will be on the bench for the remainder of the weekend, with Jeff McNeil back at second base.
Grant Hartwig underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, according to the Mets.
The right-handed reliever has shuffled between Syracuse and the Mets this season.
Tomas Nido made his Cubs debut, going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter.
The catcher was released by the Mets on Monday before signing with the Cubs two days later.
Nido became expendable following Francisco Alvarez’s return from the injured list and Luis Torrens’ emergence as a backup.
“Torrens is a great guy and he did probably the best anybody could do for those first couple of days,” Nido said. “It was fair to give it to him for having an unbelievable couple of weeks and it all worked out.”
Torrens was placed on the paternity list before Friday’s game and catcher Joe Hudson was recalled from Syracuse.
The Mets claimed outfielder Duke Ellis off waivers from the White Sox and assigned him to Double-A Binghamton.
Brandon Nimmo, with his two-hit performance, is 14-for-28 (.500) over a seven-game hitting streak.
Nimmo, who homered, has 42 RBIs for the season, the highest total of his career before the All-Star break.
Nimmo was moved from leadoff to the No. 3-hole in the batting order May 18.
