Mets manager Terry Collins said he wanted to let the struggling Josh Thole “clear his head a little bit.” Benched last night, the 24-year-old catcher likely will get more time on the pine because of Ronny Paulino’s strong play.
Paulino, after going 5-for-7 on Sunday against the Phillies, made his second start of the season in last night’s 2-0 loss to the Giants. Given a tough assignment against two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Paulino responded with two hits against the ace, after going 2-for-3 against Cy Young winner Cliff Lee on Sunday, bringing his average to .538 (7-for-13).
“I’m just trying to make good contact and look for pitches I can handle,” Paulino said. “The key for me is to be ready to play everyday whether I’m starting or I’m on the bench. I just hope I can help the team win any way I can.”
Collins said he liked how Paulino handled Chris Young’s seven innings of shutout ball on Sunday and saw the catcher work well with Chris Capuano last night, as the southpaw allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings.
“Ronny’s great to work with. He’s a professional and he’s smart,” Capuano said. “He’s a big target and he blocks the ball great. Ronny does a lot of things well and he’s swinging a hot bat.”
Thole, a left-handed hitting catcher, was benched against a right-handed starting pitcher for the first time this season. That came as no surprise after Thole’s performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Giants, in which the he hit into two double plays and struggled defensively.
Thole pinch hit in the ninth inning last night, striking out on three pitches.
Collins said Thole would be out of the starting lineup again today.
Thole, batting .253 with no home runs, said he felt fine and that he didn’t need any time off. He said it’s not his place to question the manager’s decision.
“He’s the boss,” Thole said. “You never go in there with that kind of an attitude. Ultimately, he’s writing the lineup. I told him I’ll be ready to go whenever.”
