The Mets’ outfield injury woes have gone from irritant to epidemic with the loss of Endy Chavez, who joined starters Moises Alou and Shawn Green on the disabled list yesterday. With a tough nine-game road trip coming up (including three at Yankee Stadium next weekend), the Mets may be more worried about surviving during this stretch than winning.
The speedy Chavez was forced out of Wednesday’s game with a strained left hamstring. Even though Willie Randolph predictably said the injury is no big deal, the Mets expect Chavez to miss over a month.
“It’s tough,” said Chavez, who was placed on the 15-day DL and said he was told to expect to miss four to six weeks. “It’s the first time it’s happened to me in my career. I don’t know how to react. It’s not fun.”
Ben Johnson, who replaced Chavez in the lineup last night, went 2-for-5 as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Mets with a 6-3, 10 inning victory.
“We’re a little banged-up,” Randolph said before the game. “That’s sometimes why you go in these funks. But we don’t complain or make excuses about it. We take our lumps here and there and keep going. We’ve gone through ups and downs, adversity, all kinds of injuries. We’ve grown and it’s made us stronger.”
If they survive them, they should be plenty strong.
Alou, who hasn’t played since May 12 with a strained left quad, is still feeling discomfort and doesn’t think he can play by this weekend. Green is jogging and hopes he can come back from the broken bone in his right foot when he’s eligible Sunday. GM Omar Minaya said he hopes Lastings Milledge (on the DL for Triple-A New Orleans with a sprained ligament in his right foot) can start running next week.
Even those playing are walking wounded. Carlos Beltran played his third game last night after missing three-plus with a bruised right knee, and Damion Easley, who has nine career appearances in the outfield, has a sore right knee.
“I still feel it right now,” Easley said. “I talked to the doctor and the X-ray looked good, but [it hasn’t improved] noticeably.”
Randolph doesn’t plan to make any moves (not even calling up Ricky Ledee or Chip Ambres from Triple-A) until Green’s return, other than activating second baseman Jose Valentin last night, and Minaya didn’t plan to give in to desperation and go outside the organization for outfield help.
“It’s amazing that with all the injuries we’ve had, some of our key guys, we are where we are,” Minaya said. “Once we get healthy we should be OK.”
