The Mets have had their expected full lineup for a total of exactly one game. That was back on April 21 in which the Mets won 9-1 over the Houston Astros, a game which sparked a six-game winning streak.
Since that time, the Mets have had to work around injuries to Angel Pagan and Ike Davis. And now the Mets will have to make do without the face of their franchise, David Wright, as he rests a gimpy back.
No one is going to take pity on the Mets, though, as every team has to deal with injuries. In the next few weeks the Mets will need to get solid production from their bench.
This could prove to be a critical junction for the Mets, as they face the Yankees, Phillies and Cubs in the next two weeks. So it is imperative the Mets get consistent production from their bench. If not, they could conceivably fall further into the depths of oblivion.
Perhaps Mets management sensing this, they were proactive in calling up Nick Evans and Ruben Tejada from Buffalo, while finally demoting Chin-lung Hu.
With the promotion of Evans and Tejada, they make it eight members of the 25-man roster to have have started the season in Buffalo. With just a quarter of the season complete, that is a rather high number of replacements from Triple A.
But give credit to the reserves. They have played a big part in keeping the Mets afloat as they try to get to .500.
One such player is Justin Turner.
Turner was at it again on Wednesday as he produced a big hit in the 3-0 victory for the Mets in a rain-drenched affair with the Nationals. Turner’s two-rbi double in the 6th was all the insurance Jon Niese and the Mets needed on the night.
When the Mets get their full lineup back, Turner might just stick around as the everyday second baseman. He is making a strong case for it with his recent play. At the very least, you could possibly see a platoon of Turner and Murphy at second base. Turner is now batting .333 on the year.
Turner, along with Jason Pridie, Fernando Martinez and now Tejada and Evans bring much needed juice and energy to the bench. Bench play has been a sore spot with the struggles of Hu, Willie Harris and Scott Hairston being well documented.
These guys have to hold it together for at least another two weeks or so until Wright and Davis get back. Pagan, who homered in a rehab game on Wednesday, should be back soon (maybe even in time for the Subway Series or at least be ready for the Cubs series) and his return will lessen the workload for Pridie. Hopefully Pridie can stick around when Pagan gets back, as his presence could bolster the bench.
While these are not super subs we are talking about, they do bring a good deal of youthful energy and hunger to a team that needs it.
Here’s hoping this patchwork team can keep it together for just a couple of weeks and not much more. Don’t get me wrong, I like these guys, but no one wants to see a repeat of 2009 when guys who had no business playing every day ( i.e., Cory Sullivan, Alex Cora, Fernando Tatis etc.) had to play more than they should have.