Mets use opener in possible preview of plans with both Syndergaard, Carrasco out

POST ST. LUCIE, Fla. — With Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco, and Seth Lugo all recovering from a variety of injuries, the Mets have nearly as much pitching talent on their injured list as they do in their depth chart. Completing a turn through the rotation means getting creative with the arms they have and stealing outs to win games.

With spring training winding down, the Mets took their first stab at an unconventional but increasingly popular strategy on Saturday. They started the game with short reliever Jacob Barnes, and followed with leading rotation candidate Joey Lucchesi in relief against a tough Astros lineup. Though trendy, the so-called “opener” strategy is controversial because pitchers deployed by their teams with the plan are harmed by MLB’s inefficient arbitration system that pays starters for wins and innings, and relievers for saves.

But, most importantly for the Mets, it worked. The Barnes-Lucchesi tandem kept a tough Astros lineup scoreless through the first five frames, winning a comfortable 8-3 ballgame. Dom Smith stroked two home runs, while Pete Alonso mashed a two-run blast in the seventh to pad their lead. Excellent work, but expected from two of their best bats. Quieting one of the best offenses with a by Frankensteining a fifth starter was the story of the game.

Montgomery still rotation possibility: If the Mets fifth starter role is in fact a competition, then Joey Lucchesi has the inside track. But Luis Rojas still sees Mike Montgomery as a viable option to join the Mets rotation.

According to the Mets skipper, the organization still views the veteran swingman as a starter candidate.

“We talked about the competition,” said Rojas. “That’s still very much alive with (Montgomery) going (Sunday).”

Villar banged up: Utility man Jonathan Villar is nursing a groin injury, Rojas revealed on Saturday.

According to Rojas, Villar “felt a little something” in his groin while performing infield drills last week, which has sidelined him since Monday’s spring game against the Astros. The Mets manager described Villar’s as injury “day to day,” and added it was something he was “not really” concerned about. Rojas doesn’t expect him to hit the injured list.