Yet again for Wilmer Flores, another injury brings another opportunity. With the news breaking that Neil Walker will opt for season-ending surgery, Flores is again expected to receive regular playing time.
Flores, who mainly has only been starting against left-handed pitching due to his splits will now also see time against some right-handers as well. He started last night against RHP Jake Esch and had a productive night at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a two-run jack that put the Mets up by a score of 2-1 early in the game. Manager, Terry Collins has let his team know as injuries continue to mount, now is not the time to get down on themselves.
“There’s always stuff from the outside that gets in there that can take the focus away from the plan — ‘well, woe is you; boy, you’ve got this guy hurt’ — instead of just concentrating on playing.”
“When you start to get the pieces back, all of a sudden the attitude is, ‘We’re starting to get our guys back again. We can get some things done.’ And they’ve just played much better when that’s happened.” (ESPN)
The loss of Walker can not be understated as he has been a leader on this team. He has somewhat filled the shoes of David Wright, always being the go to guy for the media to speak with after a tough loss as well as a leader on the field. Flores has some big shoes to fill.
Flores has begun to hit right-handed pitching better as well, just at the right time. He is currently on a nine game hitting streak, the best of his career. On his current streak, Flores is batting .333 with one double, three home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs scored. Overall on the season he has hit to a .267/.320/.469 split with 15 homers and 47 RBI.
As the team enters this final month of the season, the time for everyone to shine is now. Flores has a knack for hitting in the clutch, something they will need often as they head down this September stretch run.
