METS GAMEDAY

HOUSTON — At this point, the Mets should just be happy they returned to New York with enough players to fill out a lineup for today’s Labor Day matinee. For the second time in as many days, a significant Met player left the game with injury — and they lost to Astros.

Chris Flexen gave up seven runs and Amed Rosario left with a bruise on his right index finger as the Mets fell to the Astros, 8-6, at Minute Maid Park Sunday.

The Mets, losers of four straight, finished the 11-game road trip 3-8 and dropped to 20 games below .500. The Astros (83-53) returned to Houston for the first time after Hurricane Harvey, playing in front of relief workers.

Rosario left the game in the eighth inning to have X-rays, which were negative. It was less than 24 hours after Wilmer Flores left Saturday night’s game with blood gushing from his broken nose.

Terry Collins, obviously annoyed by the constant injury issues, said he feared the shortstop would miss a few games with the finger injury. The Mets’ top prospect said he first felt it in the second game of Saturday split doubleheader. “We’re just going to keep an eye on it,” Rosario said through team interpreter Melissa Strozz. “Day to day.”

Collins said the shortstop had been dealing with the issue longer than just Saturday night. Rosario had the hand heavily wrapped before and after games for several days. He went into the game Saturday night cold when Flores fouled a ball of his face. Sunday, he said it began swelling. “He couldn’t swing,” Collins said of why he removed him. The road trip began with Yoenis Cespedes straining his right hamstring, which that will keep him out for the rest of the season. The Mets announced that Michael Conforto would have season-ending shoulder surgery on Saturday.

So they are left with kids who may not be ready to carry a major league team yet, like Flexen, who allowed seven runs on nine hits, including two home runs. He walked two and struck out one in four innings.