Pinkie shelves Wright, streak
DAVID WRIGHT AWOKE in Manhattan Tuesday morning to a feeling he has yearned to reclaim since, oh, 2006: the 4-0 Mets owned a New York moment. But his joy was not pure — far from it, actually — because he also woke to a swollen pinkie finger on his right hand. Now? Really? Wright jammed the finger in the third inning Monday, diving into first base ahead of an Edwin Jackson pickoff attempt. It was a minor annoyance at first, but it did not react well to a night of sleep and day of treatment. That forced Wright to concede he could not play, and Terry Collins to replace him in the lineup with Ronny Cedeno.
Cedeno and a depleted lineup lost, 6-2, to Washington Tuesday night. Nationals lefthander Ross Detwiler dominated the Mets for five innings, and Dillon Gee allowed three runs in 5.1 innings.
Far more significantly, an Xray showed what the Mets called a “small fracture” in the middle joint of Wright’s pinkie. Wright does not need surgery, and the team said he would return to baseball activity “as tolerated.” He will know more about his prognosis on Thursday, after visiting a hand specialist and receiving a custom splint.
That quickly, the Mets’ early season narrative, a story of pure fun and toldya-so satisfaction, was bent by a major complication.
“Oh, real frustrating,” Wright said. “Not just for me, but I told Terry (I was) very apologetic, because it seemed like we built up so much momentum.”
With Jason Bay and Ike Davis cold to begin the season, most of that Met momentum came from Wright’s bat. Batting .583 with a home run and four RBI through four games, he appeared poised to enjoy the type of season he has not enjoyed since 2008.
Wright and his team saw the next three seasons spoiled by injuries and losing. Tuesday’s news came just as the Mets were beginning to enjoy their strong beginning.
Wright, who played last season with a fractured back before finally succumbing to the disabled list, is always reluctant to sit, so Tuesday’s scratch was an indication that his pain was severe.
“I couldn’t grip the bat today,” he said. “There was nothing I could do to have it feel even remotely comfortable.” Collins remained hopeful that the issue was minor, and that he would not lose his best hitter for more than a game or two.
“Worst case right now is that he is going to miss a little bit of time,” Collins said. “Best-case scenario is that he takes tomorrow (off), and he’s ready to go on Friday.”
The third baseman does not want to land on the disabled list, but said he would go if necessary.
“If I can’t play sooner rather than later, I understand,” he said. “They can’t go and be down a man for 10 days or so. I want to get out there and play as soon as possible, but I guess ultimately it’s not my call.”
So the Mets were left to field a diminished lineup at least until Friday, and feel anxiety about the face of their franchise, a man Collins believes is at the beginning of a “big year” — as long it is not another season disrupted, like others before, by Metsian luck.