Jesse

Winker

Martinez played against lefties in Games 2 and 4 against the Phillies, but he’s sitting out a fourth straight with a righty opponent. The Mets did make one change tonight, moving Starling Marte up to the fifth and Jose Iglesias down to seventh. The lineup: SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Mark Vientos, LF Brandon Nimmo, 1B Pete Alonso, RF Marte, DH Winker, 2B Iglesias, CF Tyrone Taylor and C Francisco Alvarez.

With southpaw Ranger Suarez on the mound, Martinez will get the nod over Jesse Winker as the designated hitter. The full lineup as the Mets look to clinch a trip to the NLDS behind Jose Quintana: SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Mark Vientos, LF Brandon Nimmo, 1B Pete Alonso, 2B Jose Iglesias, DH Martinez, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor and C Francisco Alvarez.

Winker was out against southpaw Cristopher Sanchez on Sunday, but he’ll return to the lineup against righty Austin Nola for the pivotal Game 3 contest with J.D. Martinez not in the starting group. Tyrone Taylor also was out of the lineup for Game 2, but he’s back in center with Harrison Bader retreating to the bench. The full lineup: SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Mark Vientos, LF Brandon Nimmo, 1B Pete Alonso, 2B Jose Iglesias, DH Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Taylor and Francisco Alvarez catching with Sean Manaea on the mound.

Martinez gets the nod over Jesse Winker with the team facing southpaw Cristopher Sanchez. Harrison Bader also gets a start in favor of Tyrone Taylor. The full lineup for the Mets as they look to take a 2-0 lead: SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Mark Vientos, LF Brandon Nimmo, 2B Jose Iglesias, DH Martinez, RF Starling Marte, C Francisco Alvarez and RF Bader.

Martinez should be back in the lineup for Game 2, as the Phillies will throw a lefty then. However, the Mets prefer Winker versus righties at the moment. Today’s lineup is the same one they used in Game 3 against the Brewers: SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Mark Vientos, LF Brandon Nimmo, 1B Pete Alonso, 2B Jose Iglesias, DH Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor, C Francisco Alvarez.

After taking a seat on Wednesday with J.D. Martinez starting at DH, it will be Winker back in the lineup and hitting sixth on Thursday against Tobias Myers and the Brewers. The rest of the lineup remains the same but Jose Iglesias will move to fifth in the order with Mark Vientos hitting second and Brandon Nimmo hitting third.

Martinez began Tuesday’s game on the bench, but the 37-year-old will start after delivering a two-run single off the bench. With Martinez in, Jesse Winker will begin Wednesday’s game on the bench. The full lineup against Frankie Montas and the Brewers: Francisco Lindor SS, Jose Iglesias 2B, Mark Vientos 3B, Brandon Nimmo LF, Pete Alonso 1B, Martinez DH, Starling Marte RF, Tyrone Taylor CF and Francisco Alvarez behind the plate.

There was some concern that Winker’s back issues may have kept him out of the lineup — and potentially off the roster — but the Mets will have the 31-year-old available against Freddy Peralta and the Brew Crew. J.D. Martinez is not in the starting lineup after his atrocious end to the season. The full lineup: SS Francisco Lindor, 2B Jose Iglesias, LF Brandon Nimmo, 3B Mark Vientos, 1B Pete Alonso, DH Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor and catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Even with the Braves throwing a right-handed pitcher, the Mets will still go with Tyrone Taylor in right field and will now start Harrison Bader in center field. It gives the Mets their best defensive lineup, and Winker has also been hitting .071 in 18 games in September, so the decision does make sense in that regard.

After sitting out the last two games as the Mets faced left-handed pitchers, Winker will be back in the lineup against right-hander Taijuan Walker. Winker has struggled in September, going just 3-for-32, but he had a tremendous month of August, so the Mets will hope to get that same production from him over the final week-plus as they look to secure a spot in the playoffs.