David Wright might as well have changed the words of Randy Newman’s hit single and belted out a chorus of, “I Hate L.A.”
The Mets third baseman concluded his weekend to forget at Dodger Stadium with a third-inning exit Sunday because of a muscle spasm on the right side of his neck. Wright said he expects the injury will keep him sidelined only until Tuesday.
“It’s been bothering me for a few days and it got progressively worse and worse,” Wright said after the Mets’ 11-3 victory over the Dodgers. “It got to the point I couldn’t go out and do the simple things.
“I think I had it last year and it kind of happens to me once or twice a year at least.”
But Wright said the neck soreness has not been a factor in his recent struggles. Since the All-Star break, he is hitting only .211 with no home runs and eight RBIs.
“I felt good enough to go in the first couple of games in this series, and it got the point where you want to be safe rather than sorry,” Wright said.
Wright went 1-for-2 with a single against Dodgers starter Kevin Correia before Eric Campbell replaced him at third base for the bottom of the third inning.
A night earlier, Wright went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and hit into two double plays, continuing his summer swoon. Wright has gone 62 plate appearances without an extra-base hit and hasn’t homered since July 11.
Before the game, manager Terry Collins didn’t rule out the possibility of dropping Wright in the lineup. But Wright hit his customary third on Sunday because of his 13-for-17 (.765) success against Correia.
“He’s the key to our lineup and he’s had an un-David-like year for lots of reasons, probably,” Collins said. “But we need him to have a good finish, for sure.”
Daniel Murphy left the game in the seventh inning with a sore right calf and said he’s unsure of the severity.
“I can’t tell you how I’ll feel until I get to Tuesday,” Murphy said.
Travis d’Arnaud finished 2-for-5 with a homer and has hit safely for the 12th time in 16 games since Aug. 5. Over that span he has hit five of his 12 homers.