ATLANTA – Moises Alou was back in a familiar place yesterday: the disabled list.
The Mets’ oft-injured left fielder has been shelved for at least 15 days after straining his left calf in Wednesday’s 11-4 loss here to the Braves. Catcher Raul Casanova was brought up from Triple-A New Orleans to take Alou’s roster spot.
Alou was in the field with one out in the third inning Wednesday night when he pulled himself because the pain became too much to stand. Alou said he is convinced the injury resulted from favoring a previously sprained right ankle.
Alou, 41, returned to New York yesterday morning for an MRI exam that confirmed the strain. It is the 17th trip to the DL in Alou’s 18-year career in the big leagues.
Alou already has missed two months this season after undergoing hernia surgery in early March. He was replaced for the second game in a row last night by Marlon Anderson.
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Despite Alou going on the DL, the Mets’ injury situation in the outfield is expected to brighten tonight with the expected return to the lineup of right fielder Ryan Church. Church, who suffered a mild concussion Tuesday night when he collided with the knee of Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar, did not start last night but came in as a pinch-hitter in the eighth, hitting a one-out single.
Church defended himself from criticism by Braves manager Bobby Cox that Church’s slide into Escobar was “extremely late.”
“I just play hard,” Church said. “I could see why he would say it was late, but I wasn’t trying to do it late or intentionally hurt him. The timing was just a little off. What else am I supposed to do? I play hard and go home. I understand, though – Bobby’s just protecting his guys.”
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Reliever Jorge Sosa was released after the Mets found no takers on the trade market and Sosa declined an assignment to New Orleans. . . . Second baseman Damion Easley was excused from last night’s game so he could attend his son’s graduation from high school in Phoenix.