In the absence of David Wright, the Mets may have to adopt an all-hands-on-deck mantra to replace the offense provided by their injured captain.
Just don't tell Lucas Duda that. He has designs on carrying the Mets all by himself.
On Wednesday night, the Mets' first baseman continued his torrid start to 2015 with a solo homer, a double and two RBIs, helping the team to a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. It was the Mets' fourth straight win, tying their longest winning streak of last season.
"I'm seeing the ball pretty well, trying to get a pitch up I can handle," said Duda, who raised his batting average to .353 and now has seven RBIs, one behind Travis d'Arnaud for the team lead.
In the Mets' first game since learning Wright will miss at least two weeks with a mild hamstring strain, the team banged out 12 hits — four for extra bases. Duda was one of four Mets with at least two hits, along with d'Arnaud, Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer.
"He's doing an excellent job," Jon Niese said. "He's seeing the ball well. He's a special hitter."
The season is just nine games old, but for Duda it's already a far cry from 2014 when he hit .200 in the first 10 games.
With a new, confident, hit-to-all-fields approach, Duda is looking further and further removed from 2012 and 2013 — when he hit .239 and .223, respectively — and more like the hitter who hit 30 homers last season.
"I do believe Lucas' makeup has changed in the last couple of years," manager Terry Collins said. "He knows that he belongs here and he can hit [for] big numbers here. What we've got to get him to do is stay confident, stay upbeat and get some guys on ahead of him."
Duda also has made strides against left-handed pitching, as after hitting .180 in 111 at-bats against southpaws last season, he's 3-for-7 against southpaws in 2015.
"With Lucas, it's mainly just getting his direction," hitting coach Kevin Long told to The Post before the game. "I'm throwing a lot of [batting practice] to him, creating a lot of different angles, and I think at the end of the day he's more comfortable."
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