Even with the best record in the National League, Met fans aren’t doing much celebrating what with two more significant injuries to Travis d’Arnaud and Jerry Blevins. But winning teams can overcome injuries, and so far at least, the Mets have done just that.
The Mets have had so many injuries lately that some articles about them don’t even mention Zack Wheeler. For a team built on young pitching, the loss of Wheeler could have been devastating. And it’s not as if his replacement in the rotation, Dillon Gee, is doing well – he might soon be replaced himself by Rafael Montero. But Bartolo Colon has stepped up with a 3-0 record and 2.25 ERA, while Jon Niese’s ERA is 1.59.
David Wright was hitting .333 when he went on the disabled list. But Michael Cuddyer is now also hitting .333, along with an .899 OPS. I was skeptical of the Cuddyer signing, but so far, so good.
Jenrry Mejia is gone for 80 games, but all Jeurys Familia has done is to be tied for the major league lead in saves with six.
The injuries to d’Arnaud and Blevins would seem to be devastating, and may yet turn out to be. But Kevin Plawecki is a great prospect, while many Met fans had not even heard of Blevins a month ago. If one lefty reliever can come out of nowhere to help the team, surely another could.
The Mets have given us good reason to be skeptical in the past. And I’m writing this before timetables are set for the returns of d’Arnaud and Blevins, so I can continue to hope that they won’t be out too long and the fact that Blevins broke his pitching arm and d’Arnaud his throwing hand will not prevent them from returning to form in a reasonable time. But the 2015 Mets have shown a resilience that recent Met teams have lacked. This team has inspired an unfamilar feeling – optimism. Even after yesterday, I’m still thinking more about the Dark Knight than the dark cloud of injuries. And having Harvey and deGrom lined up to face the Yankees next weekend.
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