Chris Schwinden had two disastrous starts since replacing injured Mike Pelfrey, so the Mets sent him down to Triple-A Buffalo and will start 41-year-old Miguel Batista on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
“One of the things we brought Miguel Batista in for was not just to be a bullpen guy, but if we needed a spot starter anytime he was the guy to do it,’’ manager Terry Collins said before the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks Friday night. “We saw last year how effective he can be in that role, so we just said as we wait to see how Chris Young comes along we brought him here so if we needed a starter he was here. We just thought we’ve got to get a look at him in that spot.’’
Batista said he expects to be available not only today but tomorrow as well, with no added limitations.
“Limitations?’’ Batista scoffed. “I’m too old for limitations. What are you going to save me for? Making the Hall of Fame at the age of 50? … I’m just going to pitch until they need me and then just get ready for Tuesday.’’
With Young not yet ready for a minor league game and not expected to return for about a month, and Schwinden pitching to an 11.25 ERA in his two starts, Batista could be auditioning for a longer stay in the rotation. He coughed up six runs in 3 ²/₃ innings in a spot-start April 23 against the Giants.
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Collins said Yankees closer Mariano Rivera’s season-ending injuries — a torn ACL and meniscus — don’t just hurt the Bombers, but all of baseball.
“This game is about the stars. It will always be about the players,” said Collins, calling the injury a sad time for baseball, but reiterating it was a freak thing and he will “absolutely” let his pitchers continue to shag balls. “When you lose a guy of his caliber, the entire industry is hurt. Not just him. I just hope he comes back and when he decides he’s done, he goes out the way he wants to.”
Darryl Strawberry, who was on hand to present David Wright with a gift for breaking his all-time Mets RBI record, also spoke about his former Yankees teammate.
“Any player that’s played as long as Mo and played this game as well as he has and pitched as well as he has, he doesn’t want to probably end his career on a sour note,’’ Strawberry said. “He didn’t come in on a sour note, so I don’t think he wants to go out on a sour note.’’
Wright extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a fifth-inning single. … Andres Torres went a season-high 3-for-4 with a walk, and has a hit in all four games since returning from the DL.
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Ike Davis appeared to twist his ankle coming out of the batter’s box on a first-inning grounduot. He limped off, but returned, going 0-for-4 with an RBI and making a key error.
“I just twisted it a little bit,’’ Davis said. “As soon as I did it and felt pain I was a little scared for sure. But it’s fine; it’s what it should’ve been last year.’’
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All the Mets starters used Beastie Boys songs as intro music, in homage to founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died Friday of cancer at 47. … The Mets called up outfielder Vinny Rottino from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned Schwinden. They may add second lefty reliever, with Josh Edgin a possibility.