When Josh Satin started at first base on Sunday against a right-handed pitcher, your spine was tingling, right? Some of you had goosebumps, right?
When Josh Satin reached base twice in four at-bats, you snickered, right?
If you read my pregame notes, you probably saw me wondering if Terry Collins was feeling under the weather… Benching Ike Davis against a right-hander? Obviously, something is amiss, right?
After all, you’ve all become accustomed to seeing Satin and his .487 on-base percentage squandering on the bench, while Davis bats cleanup – yielding his mighty .166 bat like Thor and his Hammer.
Well guess what?
It looks like ol’ Collins is starting to come around on Ike Davis, albeit two months late…
“Ike came back because everything they told us was he was ready,” Collins said. .”He was swinging better. He was swinging like he has. I don’t know if he was trying too hard…we’re going to get Josh Satin some at-bats and we’ll decide here shortly who is going to be out there on a more regular basis.”
Original Post 7/14: Ike Davis Is Batting .200 Since Returning From Vegas
If you were wondering how Mets first baseman Ike Davis was doing since the team decided to re-call him from his two week exile at Triple-A Las Vegas, the short answer is – not too good.
Davis is batting .200 since his call-up and has struck-out four times in his last 12 at-bats including a critical one with runners on second and third in Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Pirates. Davis wen’t 0-for-4 while batting cleanup.
“I’m putting the ball in play,” Davis said. “I’m not striking out as much, even though I struck out twice yesterday. I’m not too far off. We’ve faced pretty good pitching the last two days.”
Overall, the 26-year old former first-round draft pick is batting .166/.256/.251 for the season with more strikeouts (73) than hits (35) and walks (25) combined. Davis is fanning in over a third of his 211 at-bats.
The slump continues for Ike, but worse yet it has taken a toll on his defense this season. Two plays that were once routine for Davis, led two runs for the Pirates yesterday.
One of the plays was initially ruled an error and later changed to a hit for Travis Snider, but that single would have been an easy out last season if Davis had his head in the game.
“It had some pretty gnarly spin on it, but obviously I hope I make that the majority of the time,” Davis said. “It hit the top of my glove and bounced out. But probably nine out of 10 balls I catch that.”
In the next play, Davis could not handle the throw from David Wright who tired to double-off Snider at first and was safe.
“Honestly, it just caught in-between,” Davis said. “It just kind of sandwiched right in between the crack of my glove and the ground. It just seems like that happens a lot. It’s been happening with me this year. Hopefully it will turn around.”
The Mets were playing some solid baseball while Davis was away – coincidence or not – and Josh Satin was ripping the ball as his replacement. Taking Satin out of that lineup and putting Davis back in – especially in the cleanup spot – has once again suffocated the Mets offense. The team is once again struggling to score runs
