Ike Davis’ bad news yesterday likely will result in even more time at first base for Daniel Murphy.
Murphy was held out of last night’s Mets starting lineup because he has a hard time against lefties, and he entered last night with just three hits in his previous 29 at-bats (.103).
But he entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went 1-for-2 in the Mets’ 3-2, 13-inning win.
He knows his lack of power at the plate impacts the way he plays defense, especially at first base.
“Ike is a fantastic first baseman, but we’re definitely different in the way we approach it,” Murphy said shortly after it was announced that Davis would continue to be out indefinitely after an MRI showed his bone bruise still has not healed.
“I gamble a lot more there,” Murphy said. “It’s not that he doesn’t, but he’s always gonna take the out. I’ll take a few more chances there, which have helped and also hurt us.”
He believes there’s a simple explanation for that.
“Part of it may be that I know I can’t do what he does at the plate,” Murphy said. “I know he takes defense seriously, but I know I’m probably not gonna hit a three-run homer, so I take chances to be more well-rounded at first.”
And while Murphy admitted those risks sometimes don’t turn out the way he’d like, he is confident they pay off.
“I hope I take away a couple more runs,” Murphy said.
But no matter what he does at first, it won’t make up for not having Davis out there.
“We’re going to miss that presence in the lineup,” Murphy said. “It’s an unfortunate situation.”
Mets manager Terry Collins, who started Lucas Duda at first last night, thinks he knows the reason for Murphy’s slump.
“He’s so aggressive that sometimes he expands his zone, especially against lefties,” Collins said, referring to Oakland’s starter last night, Gio Gonzalez. “He’ll be back in there [today].”
Murphy is just pleased to know he won’t be pulled out of the lineup if he has difficulty at the plate.
“It’s nice to get consistent at-bats,” Murphy said. “It helps you relax. You may give something up this at-bat to get something back a few at-bats later. You can work on things, knowing at-bats are coming on the other end. I just hope I start swinging better.”
