Doubles, then busts chain on field
TWENTY- five diamonds sat in a styrofoam Gatorade cup in Yoenis Cespedes’ locker Wednesday night. The Mets slugger picked it up and looked at it and shrugged. It wasn’t the fact that he lost precious gems. “I had that necklace for six years,” Cespedes said with a smirk. “Oh, well.”
In one of the odder scenes of the season, Cespedes’ bling broke after he hit a double in the first inning of the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Braves. As he leaned over his knees, diamonds were dropping onto the dirt from the broken chain. Cespedes tried to pick up a few, but gave up as play continued.
“They were around the base. I didn’t want somebody to slide on them,” said Mets second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera. “I just tried to get as many as I could. The umpire helped too.”
In the second, Cabrera and Bill Welke, who was the umpire at second base, tried to gather as many of the gems as they could.
Welke said through an intermediary that he had never picked up diamonds on a diamond before.
Cespedes, who went into Wednesday night’s game on a tear, went hitless in three more at-bats the rest of the night.
CONFORTO WORKS OUT KINKS
Michael Conforto was out of the lineup in part to try and snap him out of his start-ofthe season slump. The outfielder was five for his last 31 at-bats (.161) and his hot rate of drawing walks was slowing in the last five games.
Mickey Callaway attributed Conforto’s .209 start in part to missing most of the offseason and spring training after shoulder surgery.
“Part of the reason we gave him a day was to really work on some things and not be tired in the game,” Callaway said. “He’s going to be just fine. He’s a really good special player who doesn’t let things bother him too much.”
VARGAS ADJUSTMENTS
Jason Vargas’ season debut was one that the Mets would rather forget. The lefty got lit up by the Padres, allowing nine runs on nine hits in just 3.2 innings.
Callaway thinks that he and pitching coach Dave Eiland figured out the issue that may be the result of his rehab work of pitching from behind a protective screen.
“Obviously there were some cobwebs, whatever you want to call it, but Dave and I discussed it, he was throwing (behind) this screen for a month, and we think he changed his mechanics a little bit,” Callaway said. “He was really diving in with his shoulder like he was trying to throw around something. So I think they really worked in between (starts) and he is where he needs to be.
Signed to a two-year, $16 million deal to be insurance against injuries to their rotation, he missed the first month after a freak accident in which he fractured his hamate bone and needed surgery on his right hand. Because he could not squeeze his glove and protect himself, Vargas pitched behind the screen and had just one minor league rehab game.
The 35-year-old lefty will make his first career start at Citi Field. A former Mets farmhand, Vargas is making his first home start as a Met since May 17, 2007, when he started at Shea Stadium vs. the Cubs.