Kyle Farnsworth is still part of the closer conversation.
After nine consecutive scoreless appearances, the Mets’ current primary closer has allowed runs in his past two appearances, including the game-winning home run to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the 10th inning of Saturday’s 7-6 loss to the Marlins, but manager Terry Collins said he won’t hesitate to go back to the 38-year-old right-hander.
“He’s pitched good, I mean, he’s pitched very good,” Collins said. “He got into tonight and just got a pitch that someone could hit. I still think he’s going to be fine. I don’t have too many concerns about it right now.”
Daisuke Matsuzaka, who picked up a save on Thursday, pitched 1¹/₃ scoreless innings in the eight and ninth, before being pulled for a pinch hitter.
Juan Lagares, who has been out since April 14 with an injured right hamstring, is already taking at-bats in extended spring training games in Port St. Lucie, but Collins said he is still unsure when he will return. Lagares is eligible to come off the disabled list on Wednesday.
“He’s had several at-bats in extended spring, he’s got about 13 or 14,” Collins said. “Some of them he hasn’t run, but he’s getting at-bats. We’re hoping by the time we get out to Colorado that he will have been in Vegas and starting to play.”
The Mets begin a four-game series at Colorado Thursday, but Collins said his hopes of Lagares appearing with Triple-A Las Vegas by then were nothing close to concrete. Collins said the outfielder could even be back with the Mets by then.
Lagares leads the team with a .314 average, a bat desperately needed on a team which entered Saturday’s game with the second-worst average in the majors (.220).
Daniel Murphy extended his hitting streak to eight games before he was ejected in the 10th inning for arguing a strike call. Eric Young Jr. has reached base safely in 20 games, the longest streak in the National League. … David Wright has driven in 10 runs in the past 13 games. … After opening the season 0-for-15, Travis d’Arnaud is batting .381 (8-for-21) over the past seven games.
Collins successfully challenged a call at first base in the ninth inning, making the Mets 3-for-4 on challenges this season.
Wright, whose “The Wright Thing” community platform was created by the third baseman in part because of his admiration for law enforcement like his father, Rhon, met with members of the FDNY and NYPD before the game, including officer James Li, who was shot once in each leg while chasing a suspect in Brooklyn in February.