ST. LOUIS — Scott Atchison wanted the ball last night, even with his right elbow hurting. In the end, the Mets were left hurting as Atchison allowed a two-run homer to Matt Holliday in the seventh inning that gave the Cardinals their final runs in their 6-3 victory at Busch Stadium.
Atchison will be examined today, and manager Terry Collins doesn’t expect to have the veteran right-hander available until later in the week.
Atchison indicated he had numbness in his fingers last night and was struggling to grip the ball.
“I was not able to really finish some pitches,” said Atchison, who has allowed at least one run in five of his last seven appearances. “Through the warm-up pitches I was kind of just throwing through it and seeing what I could get done.
“It was probably not the smartest move, but I don’t know what’s going on in my elbow and my mind was how much can I handle right there? It wasn’t agonizing pain, but I wasn’t able to make pitches I wanted to make.”
* Frank Francisco still remains in the Mets’ bullpen picture for the not-so-distant future.
The right-handed reliever was diagnosed with a strained flexor pronator yesterday in New York, but no structural damage was found in his right elbow. Francisco had become concerned after experiencing discomfort in the elbow during a recent rehab outing at Single-A St. Lucie.
Francisco was instructed to rest for 72 hours, according to assistant general manager John Ricco, and will return to St. Lucie to continue his rehab.
“I don’t think we have to start over [with the rehab], but we have to see how he feels,” Ricco said. “He was feeling pretty good and then this popped up, so I guess we won’t know until he gets out there again.”
Francisco underwent surgery in December to remove bone chips from the elbow and hasn’t appeared in a game this season.
* Despite the Mets’ 14-20 record entering last night, manager Terry Collins said it was imperative his team keeps a positive attitude.
“If there’s anybody in that room who doesn’t feel we’re good enough, I hope somebody [in the media] brings it to my attention, because I’ll get him out of there,” he said. “That’s not how we built this. That’s not what this organization is about and we’re not going to accept that.”
* Travis D’Arnaud is scheduled to be examined in New York on Friday, at which time he could be cleared to begin working out. The 24-year-old catcher is four weeks removed from breaking his left foot.