By Rich Mancuso/Sports Editor
There is a similarity about these New York Mets as it was talking about last year. A depleted lineup due to injuries and a lack of offense has the first place Washington Nationals pulling ahead in the NL East with a five game advantage. But take solace Mets fans because not even a half a season has been played and GM Sandy Alderson won’t sit still.
Remember last year, and a very similar picture was being played at Citi Field. The middle of a lineup was depleted and the offense disappeared with injuries to David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud. Remember John Mayberry Jr. and Eric Campbell were two thirds of the middle in the order.
No offense, and then Alderson went to work. After a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night at Citi Field, the replica of last season was more apparent and Jameson Taillon, the Pirates righthander called up again from Triple-A Indianapolis flirted with a no-hitter through six innings until Curtis Granderson singled to lead off the seventh through a shift in the infield.
The Mets could not do nothing against Taillon who earned his first career major league win. His first career start came against the Mets last week in Pittsburgh after pitching six innings and receiving a noc decision.
Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and as always the Mets are the first team to tell you that. Last year it was the same thing and then the trading deadline came . Alderson made the deals that delivered Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson to New York. Michael Conforto was promoted from Double-A Binghamton.
The Mets went from last in offense to first in a matter of time. And,we all know what occurred after the newcomers came to town and the injured got healthy. The manager Terry Collins once again was at full strength.
“He pitched like a big leaguer,” said Collins about Taillon. Collins was healthy again. It was his first game back in the dugout after spending another night in Milwaukee after feeling ill prior to his team losing the series finale to the Brewers Sunday afternoon.
Tuesday night, after his team dropped their third straight, 1-10 in their last eleven games against Pittsburgh, Collins said his team has to pick it up.
“Out lineup is what it is. That’s what we have,” said Collins. He expects the veterans on his team to pick it up and that includes Curtis Granderson, Johnson (His second stint), Alejandro De Aza, Asdrubal Cabrera, and James Loney.
Added Collins: “You’ve got to pick it up. You have to pick up guys who are not in there. When you’re asked to go out there, you’ve got to do what you do best. Some of these guys, it’s put the ball in play. Tonight you look at all the balls we hit, they were into the shifts. We’ve got to go back and use the field a little bit better to hit.”
In fairness though, the Mets are playing without table setters at the top of their lineup. Granderson is batting in the third hole, and not in his customary leadoff spot where his best production comes. And without runners on base, Yoenis Cespedes does not have opportunities to drive in runs as the Mets continue to have the third most home runs in the National League.
d”Arnaud is on the rehab trail and may be back in the lineup next week. Wright may undergo season ending surgery for a herniated disk in his neck, Lucas Duda is far from returning with a lower back stress fracture, Michael Conforto was out of the lineup again with a bad left wrist and Neil Walker also sat with continued pain in the lower back.
So, indeed the Mets are depleted at the moment with injuries. But this is a part of the long season.
“That happens in this game,” said shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. “There is nothing you can do. You have to come in here and fight everyday and do your best. That always happens in this game.” Cabrera is banged up and starting, and he has been the Mets most consistent hitter. Though. a good sinker from Taillon also caused Cabrera to go hitless in four at bats.
Two hits will not win ballgames. The Mets know that, as does Collins and Alderson. But for now, and until that trading deadline there will not be much help coming. There won’t be any insurance coming either from Triple-A Las Vegas even though Dilson Herrera hitting .299 and T.J. Rivera is hitting 362 with seven home runs and 52 RBI.
But there is Alderson waiting to make a move. And the GM will maneuver when the appropriate time comes.
“I think it’s going to depend quite a bit on what the situation is late in July,” Alderson said prior to the Mets latest loss. “What our injury situation is with respect to all of the players we currently have on the disabled list and those that may go in between now and then.”
However, Mets fans are not patient and the expectations of a team are a reason why they want Alderson to act now. But this is baseball and the long season. Again, just about the same as last year exists right now for the New York Mets.
Once exception again: There is still plenty of time before that halfway mark and the end of July trading deadline.
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