Lindor feeling right at home, thanks to Carlos

As Francisco Lindor settles into his new home in New York, the one thing missing from his transition to a new team has been wins. “I’m in a good spot,” Lindor said before Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep of the Phillies. “I would like to win more games, but it’s early in the season. We got a long way to go.”

Lindor entered Tuesday batting .147 (3-for-17) with one RBI, two runs scored, four walks and a caught stealing across five games. He said the season so far has felt like spring training, “except the games mean a lot.” Five of the Mets’ 10 scheduled games have been postponed or suspended due to factors (like the Nationals testing positive for COVID-19 and back-to-back days of rain) out of the team’s control.

The Mets shortstop, who signed contract to stay in Queens through 2031, said he adjusted in the batting cage rather than during games. Lindor said despite the early-season adversity, “it’s nothing (the Mets) can’t handle.”

“We can’t make excuses, we’ve just got to start winning ball games,” he said.

Lindor said he has “a nice spot” in New York that his good friend and mentor, Carlos Beltran, helped him find.

Beltran was hired by the Wilpon-era Mets in November 2019 and became their 22nd manager. It lasted only a few months; the Mets fired him that January because he was caught up in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Others involved in Houston’s trash-can banging maneuver that resulted in a championship, like Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch, have returned to the league as managers of the Red Sox and Tigers, respectively, after serving one-year suspensions. Speculatively, Beltran too could soon return to an MLB club in some capacity.

“He talked to me before the season started, as soon as I got traded,” Lindor said. “He said, ‘be yourself, be real to yourself and to other people, be accountable in everything you do. Just enjoy it. You’re in a great city. There’s great momentum in the organization, so have fun, go out there and give everything you got every single day.’ ”

CONFORTO’S GOT A FRIEND

While the majority of the Mets’ fan base is worried about Michael Conforto’s slumping start to the year, Lindor isn’t concerned about his right fielder. He told Conforto to enjoy this process.

“I told him, ‘You’re a good ballplayer,’” Lindor said. “He’s going to put up the numbers. At the end of the year, the numbers will be there no matter what. If he continues to stay healthy, the numbers will be there for sure.”

Before Tuesday night’s games, Conforto, 28, was batting .143 (3-for-21) in the first five games of his walk year and had particularly struggled with runners on base. Last Wednesday, in the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Phillies, Conforto was responsible for leaving nine of the club’s 14 men on base.

In Conforto’s peripheral vision is his potential contract extension. He’s reportedly seeking upwards of $200 million. Lindor, who just went through the process himself, is hoping he can play out that 10-year contract alongside Conforto.

J.D. ON WAY BACK

J.D. Davis was taking grounders at third base Tuesday. It was a good sign for the third baseman’s eventual return, as he continues to recover from the left-hand bruise he sustained a week ago against the Phillies. Though he received good news following an x-ray that showed no broken bones, Davis has felt the discomfort in his left hand while swinging.