OAKLAND, Calif. — Jeurys Familia knew he was in for extended duty.
With closer Jenrry Mejia bothered by tightness in his lower back, it was on Familia to get the final five outs for the Mets on Wednesday. Mission accomplished for Familia, who worked 1 ²/₃ scoreless innings and earned the save in the Mets’ 8-5 victory over the Athletics.
“I had gone three days without pitching, so today I could throw two innings easy — no problem,” Familia said. “[Thursday] we have the day off, so I will be OK.”
Mejia said he could have pitched if needed, “at 80 percent,” but informed manager Terry Collins he preferred the extra rest heading into a three-game series against the Dodgers that begins Friday. Mejia’s last appearance came Monday, when he allowed two runs against the Cubs in a non-save situation.
Familia walked in a run Wednesday after entering a bases-loaded jam in the eighth with one out, but struck out Andy Parrino before getting Josh Donaldson on a grounder to shortstop.
Donaldson had worked the count full before Familia retired him.
“I was trying to get the hitter to make contact, a ground ball,” Familia said. “Just throw a strike.”
Bartolo Colon, who was placed on the bereavement list this week, will pitch against the Dodgers on Sunday and then return to the Dominican Republic for his mother’s funeral, according to Collins.
The manager said Colon expressed regret he left the team in a tough spot Monday, when he was scheduled to pitch, but departed to be with his mother.
Dana Eveland has been bothered by a sore elbow and was unavailable to pitch, after receiving a cortisone shot. The lefty reliever last appeared in a game on Monday.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis was scratched from the lineup because of a sore neck. Collins originally planned to play Nieuwenhuis in right field with Curtis Granderson as the designated hitter. Granderson instead played right and went 2-for-5 with an RBI single, and Eric Campbell was inserted as the DH. Campbell responded with a homer leading off the third inning. The blast was his third of the season.
Daniel Murphy’s error on a relay throw in the third inning was his 14th this season, which leads the major leagues among second baseman. Coco Crisp doubled and went to third on Murphy’s errant throw home.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled to make his third rehab start on Thursday, when he pitches for Single-A Brooklyn. The Mets will then have to decide how to fit the right-hander back onto the roster.
Juan Lagares received most of the day off — he entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth — but likely will return to the leadoff spot on Friday, when the Mets face the Dodgers. Collins was asked if he would like to see Lagares, as a leadoff hitter, steal more bases.
“You can’t say that right now,” Collins said. “You would like that, but that is stuff you do in spring training. If someone is not good at something and you’re going to ask them to do it in the heat of the battle, you’re going to run into outs. We’ve got to get him better at that, but I don’t think right now is the time to say, ‘You’ve got to start learning how to steal bases.’ ”