Collins willing to shake up lineup
PORT ST. LUCIE — Curtis Granderson apparently likes it. Terry Collins used an unusual lineup Wednesday, dropping Jay Bruce to sixth and Lucas Duda to the seventh spot while putting Granderson in the four-hole, and the center fielder responded with two home runs in the Mets’ 15-9 loss to the Marlins at First Data Field. So you might see that lineup again as soon as Opening Day.
“We’re a power hitting team. You are looking at guys in the six, seven and eight (spots) and they have a chance to hit the ball out of the ballpark,” the Mets manager said. “That makes it pretty good. Obviously those guys on top (Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera) they have been doing it. We’ve got (Yoenis Cespedes) in the middle. Grandy got red hot when he was hitting fourth last year. You gotta like the looks of it.”
Granderson hit .351 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 100 plate appearances as the No.4 hitter. In 369 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter, Granderson hit .218 with 16 home runs and 25 RBI.
With Jose Reyes in the lineup indefinitely due to David Wright’s shoulder issues, Collins can put him in the leadoff spot and start Granderson in the cleanup spot most days. The 36-year-old will need days off from playing center field to maintain his health, as will others, so Collins wasn't ready to commit to an everyday lineup right now.
“You are not going to win with nine, you are going to win with 25. We’ve got to make sure those guys get days off, make sure we use some guys off the bench, certainly against left-handed pitching at times,” Collins said.
Duda may not have liked the lineup as much. He was the only starter who did not have a hit Wednesday. Jay Bruce, however, homered and finished 1-for-3.
Steven Matz would have been annoyed if Wednesday was his last spring start. The Mets lefthander got hit hard, allowing five runs on eight hits, over four innings. But Matz is confident he can clean up his command issues before the runs start to count.
“I am glad I’ve got one more start, one or two, before this season comes,” Matz said. “You try not to let this stuff bother you, but when you are getting hit around, it’s never fun.”
Matz’s fastball was rising in the strike zone and it seemed like opposing hitters were able to sit on it, a scout at the game said after Matz’s start.
Matz said there were some things he would work on in his bullpen session and take into his next Grapefruit League start on Monday. For the most part, the biggest positive he took away was that his elbow felt fine.
The Mets’ trip to West Point has been foiled by the weather. Instead of traveling up to the Hudson Valley, the Mets will host the Golden Knights at Citi Field March 31 at 1:10 p.m. Because of the snow storm last week, the field at West Point cannot be made ready in time, according to the Mets.
General admission $10 fieldlevel tickets are available now on Mets.com and will benefit the Mets Foundation.
No surprises in the Mets’ Wednesday morning moves. Submariner Ben Rowen and outfielder Travis Taijeron were re-assigned to minor league camp. Infielders Gavin Cecchini and Matt Reynolds and struggling right-hander Erik Goeddel were optioned to minor league camp.
Terry Collins remembers Dallas Green being anxious to get on with the games in 1995 after the strike. Then the Astros manager, Collins recalled talking to Green “four or five times a week, 25 to 30 minutes just about baseball. Wednesday, Collins was shocked and saddened to hear of Green’s death at the age of 82.
“That’s a shame,” Collins said. “I knew him very well. He was managing the Mets right after the strike.
“I talked to him four days a week. We wanted to get our teams caught up because of the break. We’d talk 25-30 minutes about stuff. That’s sad news.”