MLB

Ike finally gets hit, not thinking about demotion from Mets

The Mets don’t know whether to hit or stand, fold or go all-in.

The floundering team continues to postpone its decision whether to demote Ike Davis, despite his immense struggles at the plate, to its Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.

Before Davis snapped a 1-for-42 skid with an opposite-field single off Braves closer Craig Kimbrel in the Mets 7-5, 10-inning loss that was a continuation of a game played Friday night, Terry Collins said “we’ll hopefully see in the next few days where we stand.” The manager also said, based on Davis’ ugly four-strikeout performance on Friday, he himself thought, “Is this the time? Is now the time?”

Davis doesn’t even want to think about it.

“I don’t want to talk about going down,” he told reporters before answering questions about his deep slump.

Davis, hitting a measly .144 with four home runs and nine RBIs to go along with 54 strikeouts in just 149 at-bats, is in the throes of a colossal slump, a 2-for-44 quagmire that includes 19 strikeouts. He looked completely lost at the plate on Friday, striking out in all four of his at-bats, beaten by high fastballs and chasing 55-foot off-speed offerings, but he went the other way with his hit against Kimbrel before striking out as a pinch-hitter in the second game last night, a 6-0 loss.

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“He stayed in there and just put a good swing on it,” Collins said of the Kimbrel at-bat. “I felt it was a really good at-bat for him.”

Davis is far from the only Met struggling. In fact, his issues have overshadowed the lack of production from Ruben Tejada and Lucas Duda, young everyday players who haven’t produced either.

Collins put Davis back in the cleanup spot a few weeks ago, saying he would give him time to find his stroke, before he dropped him to seventh in the order this past week.

Davis said he worked on keeping his weight back after Friday night’s game and feels more comfortable at the plate. After reviewing several at-bats during the slump, Davis said he noticed his back leg was moving forward, which sapped him of some of his power.

“As far as what I worked on yesterday and bringing it into the game, I mean 1-for-2, it’s a good start,” he said. “I felt better for sure. I’m looking forward to playing [tonight].

“If I can stay back, stay on my back leg a lot longer, I’ll have more pop.”

Davis, the Mets’ first-round selection in the 2008 Draft, has been the target of thunderous boos, even as he strides to the plate, before he has even struck out. He received a mock cheer after fouling off a pitch on Friday. His defense, always a strength, has also been off of late.

It was just one at-bat, but there was plenty to like, particularly since the hit went to left-center field and came against Kimbrel, one of the top closers in baseball.

“That guy is really, really good,” Collins said. “Hopefully it’s the start of something.”