CESPEDES’ EXIT SPOILS AMAZIN’ ROUT
Even in win, bad news still finds Mets as Cespedes goes down
The groundwork was in place for a celebratory night for the Mets. Then the groundwork came out from under Yoenis Cespedes’ legs.
With a huge divot left behind him, Cespedes limped off the field with hip discomfort in Saturday’s sixth inning, a buzz kill of sorts for the Mets in their 9-3 victory over the Rockies at Citi Field.
Cespedes, according to manager Terry Collins, will receive further evaluation Sunday and likely won’t play the series finale. But Cespedes indicated he was examined by a doctor and told the injury is not serious. Even so, the Mets do not want to risk losing their star left fielder to the disabled list.
The divot created when Cespedes’ knee hit the grass appeared to impede his slide and prevent him from catching Nolan Arenado’s bloop that went for a double.
“If I didn’t get trapped in there, I think I would have caught that,” Cespedes said.
But he emerged in obvious discomfort and left the game after receiving a visit from Collins and trainer Ray Ramirez.
“I don’t think it’s real serious with Ces’, but certainly if he’s out any period of time we’ll just have to do the best we can,” Collins said.
Already, Cespedes missed six weeks earlier this season recovering from a strained left hamstring. Before Saturday’s game he had insisted his legs were feeling fine and not responsible for his recent inconsistency at the plate.
The scene had been cheerier for the Mets four innings before Cespedes departed, when Seth Lugo was given the silent treatment in the dugout after hitting his first major league homer as part of the team’s second straight offensive outburst.
Lugo flipped his helmet into the air and caught it himself to celebrate before Mets teammates finally gave in and celebrated with him.
“Jogging around the bases was pretty surreal,” Lugo said. “I always dreamed of that moment as a little kid.”
The right-hander allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings, on a night the Mets jumped to an 8-0 lead in the third and coasted to the finish line.
The victory was the second straight for the Mets, who are desperately trying to become relevant in the NL wild-card race as the clock ticks toward the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.
“The next five series we have to really take advantage of the teams we are playing and do what we do,” Lugo said.
The Mets (41-47) trail the Rockies by 8 ½ games for the second wild- card spot and need a surge just to be considered peripheral contenders.
Jay Bruce’s three-run homer and blasts by Lugo and Jose Reyes powered the Mets’ offensive attack a night after they coasted to a 14-2 victory to open the second half. Steven Matz will face Jeff Hoffman on Sunday as they attempt to complete the three-game sweep.
Lucas Duda’s two-run double was the Mets’ big hit in the second inning, when they scored three times with two outs to take a 7-0 lead.
Tyler Chatwood walked Michael Conforto and Asdrubal Cabrera before Bruce launched his 24th homer of the season. Chatwood then walked Rivera and was removed from the game with a strained calf in an inning the Mets sent nine batters to the plate.
“It’s just two games — we still have to play great,” Bruce said. “But we are giving ourselves a chance with these two games.”