'Catch' of the day
Toss to decide Matz NLDS fate
LOS ANGELES — Steven Matz survived his simulated game in Port St. Lucie and needs to clear one last hurdle before he is added to the Mets’ NLDS roster.
The rookie lefty is scheduled to play catch Friday morning, after which the Mets will determine if he’s healthy enough for the NLDS. Matz has been bothered by back spasms for the last weekplus.
The Mets have until 1 p.m. Friday to submit their NLDS roster.
Matz, according to manager Terry Collins, would rejoin the team in New York if he is added to the roster, because the Mets don’t want him flying to Southern California and then back.
The Mets are expected to give Matz the start for Game 4 of the NLDS if he is healthy, otherwise Bartolo Colon is an option. Collins also has indicated the Mets could use Game 1 starter Jacob deGrom on short rest if needed for Game 4.
“We certainly hope that [Matz] is going to be part of the rotation,” Collins said.
If Matz isn’t on the NLDS roster, lefty Sean Gilmartin would get the spot.
MLB announced the start times for Games 3, 4 and 5 of the series. At Citi Field on Monday, Game 3 will start at either 8:07 p.m. or 8:37 p.m., depending on whether there are three or four playoff games that day. Tuesday’s Game 4 at Citi Field would be at 8:07 p.m. and Thursday’s Game 5, back at Dodger Stadium, would start at 8:07 p.m. EDT.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who spent his entire playing career with the Yankees, reflected on his former manager Yogi Berra, who recently died, at age 90.
“I played for a lot of different guys in my tenure in New York, but I don’t know if I ever ran across a better person than Yogi,” said Mattingly, who wears No. 8 as a tribute to Berra. “I think just the way he handled himself and treated people was something that rubbed off on me.”