Anthony Recker turned 30 yesterday. And the best present the catcher received came from his bosses with the Mets when they recalled him from the minors Tuesday.
Then to add to the celebration, Recker presented himself with his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning of an 11-3 rout over the Phillies.
“Obviously, going down [Aug. 20] was disappointing but they told me I’d be back pretty soon and came back a little sooner than I thought,” said Recker, whose homer marked the 16th time a Met went deep on his birthday. “It was just a matter of going down there and trying to get work in and getting better and getting ready to come back up and hopefully I can continue to contribute.
“I’d love to stay here for as long as I can.”
Matt den Dekker made his major league debut for the Mets and started in center. He was 0-of-5 with two strikeouts, a stolen base and a run scored.
* Manager Terry Collins said he is revisiting the six-man rotation and is committed to both Carlos Torres and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
“We have talked about it yes. Who it’s going to be, I don’t know who it is yet. We’ve got to certainly find a guy to fill that spot,” Collins said. “Starting pitchers are hard to find. Ask the other 29 teams. Right now, yeah, we’re committed to those guys.”
* Daniel Murphy got the night off Wednesday. Nothing wrong, just a little fatigue. The results yesterday were terrific.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good,” Murphy said. “My legs were getting tired but everybody’s legs are tired at this point.”
Murphy came right back with the 10th four-hit game of his career and fourth this season.
* Collins is a big fan of Wilmer Flores’ offensive potential, although where the rookie will play on the field is uncertain.
“The ceiling for his offense is off the charts. He’s got a chance to be a very, very good hitter,” Collins said. “As he grows into that body, he’s going to have some power too. Power a lot of times comes with experience.
“Where’s he going to play? Right now I couldn’t tell you. I know he’s played a lot of middle of the infield when he came up. I always thought when I was watching him in the minor leagues that he was going to end up on the corners… because of his bat. He’s going to be a big guy so I’m not sure he fits the mold of a middle infielder.”
* David Wright said Matt Harvey talking with Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay “really helped” the Mets right-hander after the news of his torn UCL.
“Hopefully, surgery is not the option. Hopefully, he can just rehab it. But if surgery is the option then we’ve got to find a way,” Wright said. “He’s not lacking in confidence. He’s a positive person. The optimism is going to help out because he truly believes that he’ll be ready for next year. … [If] he needs the surgery then I know that the rehab will be just as smooth. He’s in a good place mentally.”
