The New York Mets go for a series victory Wednesday night in the rubber-match of a three-game series against the host San Diego Padres.
But the game might not be the main thing on Mets manager Buck Showalter’s mind.
The Mets had two of their top players leave Tuesday’s game during the second inning. Both were still undergoing tests late Tuesday night.
First baseman Pete Alonso, who is tied for the National League home run lead (16) and leads the Major Leagues with 54 RBIs, left the game in the second inning after being hit on the right hand by a Yu Darvish pitch. Alonso came out for pinch runner J.D. Davis. Initial X-rays were negative for a fracture, although more tests were being done.
Right fielder Starling Marte didn’t take the field in the third after complaining of left quad tightness. Marte, who is hitting .277, was also having more tests late Tuesday night.
“We’ll see, we’ll know more on both (Wednesday),” Showalter said after the Mets got only two hits in a 7-0 loss to the Padres. “We just want to be sure what we’re dealing with. We know what X-rays don’t always reveal. I look at it as a time for someone else to shine as they’ve been doing all year. Hopefully, we get lucky with both of them.”
Right-hander Chris Bassitt (4-3, 3.74 ERA) will start for the Mets against Padres left-hander Sean Manaea (2-3, 3.77 ERA).
Bassitt will be making his second start on the trip. He gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks in six innings at Dodger Stadium last week. He also threw a team-high 110 pitches in the loss — his second subpar performance in his last three starts.
“The execution of my cutter has been bad,” said Bassitt. “I think it’s a pretty easy adjustment moving forward.”
The 33-year-old Bassitt has faced the Padres only once before on July 3, 2018, giving up two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Bassitt will be making his 12th start of the season.
After Wednesday’s finale against the Padres, the Mets will have a day off before finishing their 10-game Southern California trip with three against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.
Manaea will be making his 11th start as the Padres remain on a slightly different program.
Padres manager Bob Melvin will go with a seven-man rotation over the next week due to a doubleheader Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. He will also ask his starters to go longer with some members of his short-handed bullpen working longer stints.
“We don’t have that many guys in our bullpen right now,” Melvin said. “We’re leaning on our starters a little bit more and once you get into stretches where you don’t have any off days it’s going to be even a little more valuable and important to do it. We’re able to use our starters a little bit differently.”
Meaning less frequently and deeper into games.
Manaea, for example, has gone at least six innings in seven straight games. Manaea has faced the Mets only once before, in 2017, giving up four runs on 10 hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media