ATLANTA — Lucas Duda’s four days off for the All-Star break weren’t as productive as he had hoped.
Nagged by a sore left hamstring since last week, the Mets right fielder missed a start Saturday against the Braves and struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the 8-7 loss. Manager Terry Collins indicated Duda also might be on the bench for today’s series finale.
Duda thought the All-Star break would provide enough rest for the hamstring, but he felt soreness during Friday’s 7-5 loss. Collins does not want to risk starting Duda and then have to remove him from the game, shortening the bench.
“It’s not a big deal,” Duda said. “In a couple of days it should be gone.”
Kirk Nieuwenhuis (0-for-2, walk) started in right field and Jordany Valdespin (2-for-5, RBI) played left. The Mets could go with the same alignment today against Braves right-hander Ben Sheets.
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Jason Bay was scheduled to play a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Buffalo and could be ready on Tuesday, when the Mets open a three-game series in Washington. Collins expects to speak with Bay today to gauge his progress. Bay has been on the disabled list since June 15, when he suffered his second concussion in three years, after hitting the fence at Citi Field.
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Mike Baxter, who suffered a displaced collarbone and damaged rib cartilage while making a circus catch that preserved Johan Santana’s June 1 no-hitter, is scheduled to play his first minor league rehab game today at Single-A St. Lucie.
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David Wright went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts to snap a majors-best streak of having reached base in 27 straight games. Before yesterday, Wright had reached base in 77 of his 82 games this season (93.9 percent), the highest percentage in the majors, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Wright entered play second in the majors with a .443 on-base percentage.
mpuma@nypost.com