They Mets may be bruised, but they aren’t broken. New York left Philadelphia limping after getting swept for the first time at Citizens Bank Park since 2009. The Mets, who haven’t had to deal with as many injuries as of late, now face three key injuries that could affect them leading up to and through the NLDS.
One of those injuries involves their talented young pitcher Steven Matz, who was scratched from his start on Thursday due to back stiffness, resulting from a poor night of sleep. The Mets had recently slated Matz to be in the rotation for the playoffs, but Terry Collins now wants to make sure that he can rely on him come postseason time.
“We’re looking at somebody who has come out and it’s been an issue,” said Manager Terry Collins. ” I want to make sure that if he goes and starts that he’s going to be ok, because if he pitches in the first round, and something happens, then we don’t have him around for the second round. We have to do it the right way, and that’s why I think he has to pitch.”
Matz will get the chance to pitch at least five innings this weekend behind Matt Harvey or Jacob deGrom. The Mets can then assess how effective he may be come playoff time.
The Mets may also end up being without Juan Uribe for the playoffs, which could prove to be costly with how clutch he has been for the Mets on several occasions. Uribe, who hasn’t played since last Friday, may have torn cartilage between his clavicle and sternum which could make him a spectator in the NLCS. Collins told the media yesterday that his chest has shown “very little” improvement
Mets infielder Wilmer Flores is also battling back spasms. Flores was removed in the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s game after dealing with what was a stiff back. To go along with his bad back, Flores has been feeling a bit under the weather as of late, which has limited his playing time. Collins has recently suggested that he may use Ruben Tejada more at shortstop in the playoffs, but Flores still has a lot of value with his bat, and can step up at other positions in the infield if need be. As of now, Flores is being evaluated on a daily basis, and they hope he could be ok for the playoffs.
Yoenis Cespedes‘ bruised fingers on his left hand shouldn’t keep him out for an extended period of time. He did not play in yesterday’s loss after being drilled the night before by a Justin De Fratus fastball. The outfielder believes he can play as early as tonight, but when Collins was asked the same question, he was unsure of that possibility. As of now it looks as though he will get another game off tonight, along with Flores.
The issues between Flores and Cespedes seem to be minor, and there doesn’t seem to be any concern over whether they will be ready and available for the posteason. Uribe and Matz are the ones that are more concerning to me. As of now, there is a strong possibility the Mets will be without Uribe. While he may not be an everyday player, he has been an extremely important piece to this team since they acquired him back in mid July. Having had already won two World Series rings, Uribe’s experience, above all else, would have also been a most important asset in the playoffs for the Mets.
The Matz injury is also a bit concerning. While his left back spasms may have improved enough for him to allow Terry to give him innings this weekend, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding him. How effective will he be? What happens if the back starts bothering him in the playoffs? Who do the Mets turn to then?
For a team that is all too familiar with injuries, the Mets will have to find a way to overcome these latest skirmishes. They have been fortunate enough that up until this point in the second half of the season that they haven’t really had to deal with too many substantial injuries. Not only is it important the Mets to have a good weekend against the Washington Nationals, clinch home field advantage, and carry some momentum into the playoffs, it’s also important that they get healthy and avoid any further injuries to key personnel.
The Mets will have until 10 A.M. of Game 1 of the NLDS to set their postseason roster. It looks as though they are going to need every second of it.
