CES’ WE CAN’T!
Yoenis hurt & Thor scratched as Mets tumble into last place
To reach rock bottom, the Mets would actually have to navigate upward through multiple layers of sludge.
A team in such a tailspin that manager Terry Collins felt compelled to call a meeting after a sixth straight loss and 10th in 11 games, 7-5 to the Braves on Thursday, now has to wonder when its two biggest stars, Noah Syndergaard and Yoenis Cespedes, will return.
Can it get any worse for the last-place Mets? Well, they are headed into Washington for a three-game series beginning Friday that could leave them buried beyond recognition in the NL East race.
Syndergaard was scratched from his Thursday start with biceps soreness, and Cespedes departed in the fourth inning with a left hamstring strain, an aggravation of an injury that caused him to miss three games against the Nationals last weekend.
Team spokesman Jay Horwitz indicated Syndergaard did not see a doctor Thursday, and it remains unclear if the right-hander will start against the Nationals on Sunday, as the Mets’ hope. Syndergaard grew agitated when reporters attempted to question him after the game regarding his status, and then ripped into Horwitz for not shielding him from the media.
But Collins is optimistic regarding his ace.
“We certainly don’t think we have lost Noah, we were just being cautious as every team would be to back him up,” Collins said.
The Mets’ bigger concern likely Cespedes, who is expected to land on the disabled list — the All-Star outfielder was headed for an MRI exam to further evaluate his hamstring. Cespedes needed help from the field after running to second base on a double off of R.A. Dickey in the fourth inning.
Collins grew defensive when asked if the Mets had allowed Cespedes back into the lineup too soon.
“He did all the things that were required to get in the lineup,” Collins said. “It just happens. It’s easy to say you should have put him on the DL. Well you know what? Every time you turn around for every little thing, if you keep putting guys on the DL, we can’t run anybody out there.
“The guy pulled a hamstring. He’s wound tight. I am going to go with that. Now he’s going to be out for a while.”
Matt Harvey received the ball on normal rest against the Braves and struggled, allowing six earned runs on five hits and five walks over 4 ¹/₃ innings. Harvey’s velocity hovered in the low-90 mph range for most of his outing, after increasing during recent starts.
Though team brass knew Wednesday that Syndergaard was sore, Harvey wasn’t alerted until 10 a.m. Thursday that he would be needed to pitch.
It was Harvey’s second straight start in which he was notified the day of the game he was needed to pitch. Last Friday he was used a day early against the Nationals because Jacob deGrom had a stiff neck.
“It’s different — it’s something I’m obviously not used to,” Harvey said. “As far as today goes, I need to do a better job of being ready and I was expecting to pitch [Friday], so I had a big workout [Wednesday] and I kind of tightened up. I wasn’t really physically prepared for starting today.”
Kurt Suzuki’s three-run homer against Harvey in the fifth was the Braves’ knockout punch. The Mets had tied the game 2-2 in the previous inning.
As for the team meeting, Collins indicated he told the players it was time to put all excuses — such as the cold, damp weather — aside and start winning. He also pointed out the number of injuries the Mets suffered last season before rallying for an NL wildcard berth.
“We can do that again, but it has got to start now,” Collins said.
And the Mets were certainly willing to listen.
“He t hought it was important to say something today and I respect his decision for that,” Jay Bruce said. “But we have a group of guys who understand what it takes to win baseball games and play winning baseball and we’re simply not doing that right now.”