Mets manager Terry Collins said he has been waiting for Lucas Duda to return from Triple-A Buffalo. The wait is over. Duda was recalled late Saturday.
“We’re certainly anxious to get him back,” Collins said before the Mets’ 3-1 victory over the Astros at Citi Field. “I still think he’s a threat in the middle of the lineup. You talk to the managers on the other clubs and they want to know: ‘Hey, what happened with Duda?’ and when you explain it they say, ‘Yeah, we saw that but he’s still dangerous.”
Duda was demoted to Buffalo July 24 after a month of hitting .138 (9-of-65).
“He’s had some good games in Buffalo and he’s had some games that are similar to what we saw here. But they tell me they thought he’s made some improvements,” Collins said. “[General manager] Sandy [Alderson] and I have been talking about that and when he gets back here, I want to get him in the lineup because I still think his ceiling’s high and I still think he’s a part of the future.”
Collins said Duda, who has been playing left field in Buffalo, probably will do the same but his presence will “allow us to have Ike [Davis] get a day off here and there, and let Lucas play some first base.”
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Justin Turner started at first for Davis who pinch hit in the eighth and played the ninth. Daniel Murphy rested a second straight game but pinch hit in the eighth.
If ever hot knitting needles plunged into one’s ear drums seemed like a good idea, Saturday before the game in the Mets’ clubhouse was such a time and place. Turner left his iPad playing and it churned out roughly one hour and more than a dozen versions of the Oasis song “Wonderwall.” Josh Thole (0-for-4) finally saved some of the tortured souls in the clubhouse by changing the program. And the first song? “Whomp There It Is” by Tag Team. Knitting needles, please. Turner made amends by homering.
“That was accidental. I was trying to put it on a play list and it kept playing different versions of it,” Turner said.
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Not only did the Mets win, but there was another rare occurrence: a call was reversed in the Mets favor. Home plate ump Chad Fairchild called R.A. Dickey for a balk in the fifth with men on first and second. The umps huddled and the balk was reversed.
“Turned out to be a big play and I’m glad someone picked it up right away,” Collins said. “That’s the first time we’ve had one turned our way.”
Said Dickey: “The home plate umpire just kind of mis-observed what happened. He thought I didn’t step off the back of the rubber before I threw and I did. I’ve done that move since I’ve been a professional and it was the first time anybody ever called it a balk. Thankfully the guy behinds the mound knew it wasn’t and fixed it.”
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Jeremy Hefner, back from a paternity list leave. … Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan, who won the gold medal in men’s tennis doubles, will throw out the first pitch today. Mets have invited All-Star teams from Par-Troy East of Parsippany, N.J., and Fairfield American of Fairfield, Conn., to a future game. Both teams advanced to Little League World Series. … Dickey yielded his first baserunner with one out in the fourth when ex-Mets prized prospect Fernando Martinez singled. … Dickey went seven innings for the 14th time while allowing one or fewer runs. The record for such starts in Bob Gibson with 24 in 1968. … Mets were 2-of-9 with RISP. They are 10-of-80 (.125) since Aug. 14 in such situations
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Collins admitted there is a delicate line with Jordany Valdespin at the plate. Valdespin impressed with his aggressive hitting approach off the bench. But in the lineup, he is more selective, almost to the point of negating what made him a weapon.
“He is an aggressive hitter we’re trying to get him to understand not to lose the aggression yet to have a little patience to get certain balls he can handle,” Collins explained. “But one of the things he does very well is come off that bench with aggressiveness as a pinch hitter.
“We look at the damage he’s done this year and the impact he’s made (as a pinch hitter). In the lineup, sometimes (young players) change their personality at the plate. They want to be a little more disciplined they want to wait for something,” Collins concluded, noting Valdespin has fallen into the rut that plagues the whole team. “We’ve gotten balls to hit, we just haven’t hit them.”
Valdespin pinch hit Saturday and walked.