According to beat reporter Kristie Ackert of the Daily News, there are still no planned dates for the returns of RHP Jacob deGrom (forearm) or LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) to return to the starting rotation.
DeGrom, 28, is expected to miss another start Terry Collins said on Sunday, so he’ll continue to rest his strained forearm. He last pitched on September 1 in a loss to the Miami Marlins. After undergoing an MRI last week, team doctors determined that there is no structural damage in deGrom’s arm.
Matz, 25, appears to be the biggest concern for the Mets. The Long Island southpaw has been on the disabled list since August 15. But on Monday he began throwing on flat ground, which is an encouraging step in the right direction. Despite concerns about whether the Mets should just shut him down for the season and let his shoulder rest while getting the elbow surgery to remove bone spurs over and done with, Matz says he expects to pitch again in 2016.
Meanwhile Terry Collins is focused on what he has to work it and not who’s missing in action.
“It may sound harsh, but I don’t worry about the guys who aren’t here. …You got to worry about what you’ve got here, because that is what is going to help you win tonight,” Collins said. “ We can’t sit there after the game, regardless of the outcome, and say I wish we had Jake tonight, because we don’t.”
With the Mets off on Thursday after a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, the team will get some much needed rest before beginning a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. The Mets will turn to rookie right-handers Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo to start Friday and Saturday, while the veteran Bartolo Colon will get the nod in the series finale on Sunday.
Luckily for the Mets, all three upcoming starters have stepped up in big ways and are chiefly responsible for the incredible starting pitching that has rocketed the team all the way to the brink of a wild card spot, and there’s no doubt in my opinion, that their recent run of success will continue. The Mets have finally put it all together and I think right now they are among the top two teams in the NL along with the Chicago Cubs.
