NewsMets hope Wright won't miss much time
New York (54-62) vs. San Francisco (63-53), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
08/15/09 11:29 PM ET
NEW YORK -- When David Wright was seen hobbling around the bases in Wednesday's victory in Arizona, Wright laughed off manager Jerry Manuel's cautious concern and mandate that he needed to be checked out."I'm not sure who'd be checking me out," Wright said. "I'm just a little banged up. ... I'm good to go."
Such is the attitude of the four-time All-Star, a pillar of toughness and strength, and one that, at least for the immediate future, the already injury-laden Mets will be without.
Wright left Saturday's game after being struck in the helmet by a Matt Cain pitch in the fourth inning. After a CT scan came back negative, Wright was diagnosed with a concussion. Doctors at the hospital advised Wright to stay overnight, where he will continue to be monitored and evaluated.
"It will be difficult for us [to not have Wright]," manager Jerry Manuel said. "He has played through a number of things: nagging injuries here and there, fatigue. He's gone out there every day, so for us not to see him over there at third base or in that third spot will be tough."
Wright entered Saturday's game batting .325 with eight homers and 55 RBIs, and was seemingly the last man standing in a core group of Mets players lost to injury. Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran are currently on the disabled list along with pitchers J.J. Putz, John Maine and Jon Niese.
"David has my utmost respect," said Jeff Francoeur. "The guy plays to the wall, always sliding, doing what he's got to do. Playing with him these 30 games, he's been just that. So to see him the way he was [following Saturday's hit-by-pitch], that was tough."
Tougher still will be replacing Wright. One scenario would be to insert Fernando Tatis, who took over on Saturday, at third base. The Mets could also use Anderson Hernandez at third, depending on the status of infielder Alex Cora, who was held out of Saturday's game with a sore left hand.
For now, the depleted Mets are hoping for the best-case scenario, which would involve Wright missing just a few days.
"Hopefully he gets back on track and gets healthy," Francisco Rodriguez said. "And gets back in here soon."
Pitching matchupNYM: RHP Mike Pelfrey (8-8, 4.88 ERA)
In his last start, Pelfrey allowed more than three earned runs for just the second time in a span of six starts, taking his eighth loss in surrendering five runs over six innings to the D-backs at Chase Field. It was also the first start since July 7 that Pelfrey threw fewer than 100 pitches. Pelfrey, whose ERA at home (4.00) is nearly two runs lower than his road ERA this season (5.93), lost to the Giants in San Francisco on May 17, allowing two runs across six innings. SF: LHP Jonathan Sanchez (5-10, 4.61 ERA)
Exactly one month after his July 10 no-hitter, Sanchez's maturation as a starting pitcher took a step back. Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sanchez allowed four earned runs over five innings. He issued three free passes in the short outing and has walked at least that many in 14 of 19 starts this season. In his May 14 appearance against the New York Mets, the left-hander allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings and received a no-decision. Tidbits
Luis Castillo has now hit safely in eight of his past 10 games, and he is batting .406 with seven runs scored and three RBIs over that span. ... The Mets hope to have more word on Wright following his stay in the hospital on Saturday night. ... The Mets fell to 4-7 in extra innings. Tickets
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• Monday: Mets (Livan Hernandez, 7-7, 5.28) vs. Giants (Joe Martinez, 2-1, 6.00), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Mets (TBD) vs. Braves (Derek Lowe, 12-7, 4.08), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Mets (Bobby Parnell, 3-4, 3.50) vs. Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 9-8, 2.99), 7:10 p.m. ET
Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
