The All-Star break has one positive for the suddenly red-hot Mets.
It gives David Wright, who is hitting like the player Mets fans have come to expect since returning from an eight-day absence, a few days to further rest his still-ailing left shoulder after undergoing a planned cortisone shot Sunday.
“They wanted to see how it went those last 10 days,” Wright said after the Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Marlins with a 9-1 rout, leaping past Miami and moving into third place in the NL East. “Hopefully, this will help it out with the break.”
Wright has found his stroke since missing seven games with a bruised left rotator cuff, batting .345 with two home runs, five RBIs and an impressive .621 slugging percentage. Sunday, he doubled twice, drove in two runs and scored twice, the seventh game he’s hit safely in his last nine.
It’s no coincidence the Mets are 7-2 in that stretch.
“It was the fact his shoulder feels better and the fact he had [eight] days’ rest,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “These guys play tired, they play every day tired. When you get a few days to where you can get your energy back, it’s a big difference.
“I’ll bet his shoulder’s not 100 percent. The way he plays, it’s just going to continue to be aggravated a little bit. But the rest helped him. He’s starting to swing the bat like we know he can.”
Wright seemed uneasy talking about his shoulder, offering brief responses when asked about the cortisone shot and how the shoulder felt.
When pressed, Wright said: “Enough about the shoulder. If you guys have baseball questions, we’ll talk baseball. The shoulder is not an issue.”
He preferred to talk about his hitting.
“I’ve felt good,” Wright said. “I’m feeling comfortable. I’m seeing some good results, so that’s a good thing.”
Though the All-Star break may not come at a great time for the streaking Mets, winners of seven of their last eight games, Wright thinks the time off will do the Mets well. For just the fourth time in his career, Wright will not participate. He plans to relax and head to the West Coast early for the team’s 10-game road trip, which begins Friday night in San Diego.
“Everybody needs a little bit of a rest and a little bit of a blow,” Wright said. “You hate to take a break when we’re swinging the bats well offensively, getting great pitching performances, the bullpen’s been fantastic. We’re kind of clicking on all cylinders. Hopefully, [on Friday] we’ll pick up right where we left off.”