The New York Mets lost to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday but the discussion about that game heavily centered around their starting lineup. With lefty Jose Quintana on the mound for Colorado, manager Carlos Mendoza stacked the Mets' starting nine with right-handed bats. Series finale! 🏔️ #LGM pic.twitter.com/D6Smy5pFrP — New York Mets (@Mets) May 7, 2026 That lineup meant three regular starters hit the bench for the start of the game: Brett Baty, Carson Benge and MJ Melendez. All three entered the game once Quintana exited, but the Mets didn't gain much of an advantage from the at-bats they received from replacements Austin Slater, Andy Ibanez and Vidal Brujan. Carlos Mendoza says the Mets hitters expanded the strike zone when they had a chance to tack on to their lead vs. Jose Quintana pic.twitter.com/Q9YkNbTZ1H — SNY (@SNYtv) May 7, 2026 Slater was the most successful, collecting two hits in three at-bats, while Ibanez went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly.…