WASHINGTON — Jenrry Mejia wanted the ball for Thursday’s 13th inning, but with the Mets closer battling a sore right calf, manager Terry Collins wasn’t about to risk it.
“It’s just a little bit tight,” Mejia said after the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Nationals in 13 innings.
Mejia said the calf has been bothering him in recent days. The right-hander escaped the 12th by stranding the winning run at third base before Carlos Torres entered for the 13th and surrendered a game-ending, two-run homer to Bryce Harper.
“The trainers, right now they don’t think it’s anything serious,” Collins said. “But it was serious enough that [Mejia] wasn’t going to pitch any more [Thursday].”
But Mejia persisted, asking if he could pitch the 13th if the Mets took the lead. Collins said he still wouldn’t have taken that chance.
“We’ll see what it is [Friday],” Collins said. “He said it’s been a little sore for a couple of days. We gave him the last two days to kind of rest it. He said he was fine to pitch today, so it acted back up.”
Collins gambled by making a double switch in the eighth that removed his best defensive player, Juan Lagares, for Chris Young. The following inning Kirk Nieuwenhuis moved to center field and Young shifted to left. Eric Campbell became the left fielder in the 10th inning.
Nieuwenhuis made highlight-reel catches in the 10th and 11th innings, to rob Jayson Werth and Jose Lobaton, respectively. Nieuwenhuis’ play perhaps vindicated Collins after he had removed Lagares.
“I thought the guy who went in there did pretty good,” Collins said. “It’s tough to take [Lagares] out, but the reason we can is the other guy is real good. We’re real lucky that he’s here right now.”
The manager defended Eric Young Jr., who lobbed a throw to the infield on Ian Desmond’s single in the third inning. Adam LaRoche kept running and scored from second base on the play.
“I think when [Young] looked up and he saw Adam slowing down, he just threw the ball to second base to stay in the double play,” Collins said. “And then they just sent him.”