Cespedes rocks in return
Mets take two in Atlanta
ATLANTA — The lost boys returned Saturday, giving the Mets not only the air of a healthy team but a highlight in their otherwise disappointing season: A doubleheader sweep.
Yoenis Cespedes’ bat and Steven Matz’s left arm didn’t arrive a moment too soon. With Cespedes blasting a grand slam against the Braves in Game 1 and Matz firing a gem in the nightcap, the Mets rolled 6-1 and 8-1 at SunTrust Park for their first consecutive victories since May 29 and 30.
“This is what we thought we were going to get, guys we thought we were going to have,” manager Terry Collins said. “Unfortunately we haven’t and we have had to play without them, but we have a lot left and now we’ve just got to make sure we work very hard to make sure Steven Matz goes out there every five or six days and Yoenis Cespedes finishes the season healthy.”
In his season debut, Matz allowed one run over seven innings, a gift from the heavens for the team’s beleaguered bullpen, which has been overextended by the rotation’s failure to work deep into games.
Cespedes, returning to the lineup after six weeks on the DL, cleared the fence in left-center for a grand slam in the ninth inning of the first game to give Addison Reed a cushion in completing the five-out save, following Robert Gsellman’s strongest start of the season, in which he fired 6 2/3 shutout innings.
On deck is another lost boy, Seth Lugo, who is scheduled to make his season debut in Sunday’s series finale after spending two months on the DL with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Matz, who had been shelved since spring training with elbow inflammation, allowed only five hits and one walk in throwing 98 pitches over seven innings. Jay Bruce’s 16th homer, a three-run blast in the fifth inning, provided Matz with all the offensive support he needed. T.J. Rivera hit a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance.
“It just feels really good to get back out there and compete,” Matz said. “I didn’t really have my greatest, sharpest stuff today, but I was able to execute my pitches when I did and the defense behind me was playing great.”
Cespedes finished 2-for-5 in Game 1, his return from hamstring and quadriceps injuries that had kept him on the disabled list since April 28. He was rested in the nightcap.
“It’s not easy for any ballplayer to miss that much time and still have the timing down,” Cespedes said. “But in my case I have been playing for lots of years, so I just try to stay calm and look for good pitches.”
Said Collins: “He showed us today he is a difference maker.”
Cespedes raised concerns before the first game when discussing his running ability.
“I feel good, but I don’t know that I can run at 100 percent at this point,” Cespedes said.
But assistant general manager John Ricco indicated Cespedes passed his running tests before appearing in a rehab game for Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, after which he was deemed ready for a return to the Mets.
Later, Cespedes said he wanted to clarify his comments.
“I don’t feel 100 percent, but I feel that I’m ready to play,” Cespedes said. “I don’t want to injure myself, but know that I wouldn’t go out there to play if I knew I could injure myself and that is how I went out there.”
The Mets plan to show caution with Cespedes, giving him extra off days, including possibly Sunday’s series finale.
Ultimately Cespedes says he will determine his own course in regards to playing time.
“Starting next week we’ll see if I feel 100 percent,” Cespedes said. “At that point I am not taking days off.”