David Wright went on the 15-day disabled list and Mets manager Terry Collins went into plea mode, stressing how a difficult situation could be a little less miserable if everybody tried to share the load.
“There are certain guys you really almost can’t afford to lose. And he would fit that category for us,” said Collins.“We’ll get together as a team and realize you’ve got to push forward and we’ll ask somebody else to step in and step up because that’s what you’ve got to do at this level.”
And they did. For 11 innings. Too bad this went 12.
After the Mets erased a two-run deficit against the Royals with the American League’s best bullpen and got five perfect innings from their own relievers, it all went up in flames. Recently acquired Justin Maxwell pinch hit a leadoff homer in the 12th inning for Kansas City against David Aardsma to send the Mets to a 4-3 defeat at Citi Field.
The Mets had rallied to tie Kansas City in the eighth on Josh Satin’s 2-run single but failed in the bid for a second straight extra-inning victory over the Royals, who had won nine straight before Friday’s loss. Greg Holland pitched the 12th for his 29th save for KC.
Before Aardsma, who blew a save Friday, the Mets bullpen was flawless. Gonzalez Germen, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and Scott Rice combined for five perfect innings.
In the eighth, Andrew Brown pinch hit a single against Aaron Crow, the Royals’ third reliever. Brown moved up on a passed ball and went to third on Juan Lagares’ one-out infield single. After Lagares swiped second, Satin singled up the middle tying matters. It was the Mets first real sign of offense since Daniel Murphy’s leadoff homer in the second.
The Mets’ All-Star third baseman before the game was placed on the disabled list after an MRI confirmed a strained right hamstring. And without Wright, who left Friday’s game in the 10th inning, the Met offense early seemed as encouraging and uplifting as Wright’s MRI.
The Royals roughed up Jeremy Hefner for three runs and five hits in the third inning. With lefty Bruce Chen transforming the Mets’ bats into rubber early, three runs looked like it might be enough for more Met frustration. Chen worked six innings, retired the last nine batters he faced, 14 of the final 15. Hefner also pitched six innings, striking out six and surrendering eight hits.
Before the game – and before the anticipated announcement came that Wright would hit the DL, Collins insisted no one player could be expected to bring what Wright supplied to the club. Outfielder Mike Baxter, Wright’s roster replacement, echoed the sentiments.
“Somebody’s going to have to step up and we’re going to have to try to pick up the slack for him. But it’s a big hole to fill. And I don’t know if one guy can do it,” Baxter said. “It’s probably going to have to come from a couple of us.”
In the field, Collins said he has yesterday’s starter at third, Justin Turner, plus Satin and Murphy to try to handle Wright’s chores. Offensively, well, Wright is hitting .309.
Murphy made his mark, though, in his first at bat against Chen when he drilled a 2-0 pitch well over the 390 sign in right center for his ninth homer and a 1-0 lead.
That lead didn’t last long. The first batter for the Royals in the third, backup catcher George Kottaras, made like Murphy and homered to rightcenter against Hefner. That was the first of four straight KC hits, five in the inning. Pitcher Chen, Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer all singled to load the bases.
After Billy Butler struck out, All-Star and Gold Glove leftfielder Alex Gordon, who earlier earned his ninth outfield assist cutting down Turner at second trying for a double (replays disputed the call), then lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right. Miguel Tejada, 39, singled home the third run of the inning.