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          New York Mets

          Murph who? Ex-Buc Neil Walker quickly ingratiates himself to Mets faithful

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterApr 8, 2016, 10:56 PM
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          NEW YORK -- Second baseman Neil Walker has made New York Mets fans quickly forget about predecessor Daniel Murphy.

          Walker increased his season RBI total to five as the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 Friday at Citi Field.

          The first-year Met has produced an RBI in the opening three games of a season for the first time in his career.

          Walker staked the Mets to a 2-1 lead in the sixth with an RBI single against right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. An inning later, he opened a three-run cushion with a run-scoring single against left-hander James Russell.

          Walker, a switch-hitter, batted only .237/.290/.575 against southpaws while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.

          “If we can get him swinging the bat [well] right-handed, boy I’ll tell you, the middle of that lineup is going to be pretty good,” manager Terry Collins said.

          Said Walker about the hit against the left-hander: “It is big. It is an ongoing process for me. We’re working hard and trying to simplify some things. To be in somewhat of a higher-leverage situation and getting to two strikes after swinging at two bad balls out of the zone, to kind of slow it down and back it up and shoot one to right, those are signs you’re doing things the right way. We’ve been working hard on it, and I think it’s going to continue to improve.”

          Walker has driven in 41.7 percent of the Mets’ runs through three games. That’s a nice way to introduce yourself to a fan base.

          “You certainly don’t want to put any extra pressure on yourself,” Walker said. “Having played this game for as long as I have, the old adage is, 'Stay in your lane' and don’t try to do more than you’re capable of going -- just going out and playing. And I’ve had success doing it that way in the past. And you learn from your past failures. You learn from past experiences.

          "This is the first time in my career, obviously, that I’ve gone to a new team. Obviously you want to make good impressions. At the same time, you have to pull back the reins at times and say, ‘You know what? I need to just play my game.’ And fans or whoever will make up their minds about it -- whether they like me or not. At the end of the year, I’ll let my numbers speak for themselves.”