MET NOTES
OAKLAND – After the Mets lost 5-0 on Tuesday night, Willie Randolph said there might be some “adjustments” with the lineup.
Looks like an adjustment is coming.
Mike Cameron was still unable to play last night, thanks to his ailing right knee and left finger. But if he had been able to play, Randolph said he would have “probably” hit leadoff, with Jose Reyes dropped to the two hole.
As it was with Cameron out, Reyes was still hitting leadoff last night. But it sounds as if when Cameron is ready to play, you can figure on seeing him at the top of the lineup ahead of Reyes.
The Mets entered last night in a terrible offensive funk, having scored 14 runs in their last six games and losing five of them.
“We need to get more men on base, and hopefully Cameron can give us a little bit more of that,” Randolph said.
Entering last night, Reyes was hitting .263 but with just a .286 on-base percentage, while Cameron is hitting .320 with a team-high .426 OBP. Switching them does make sense statistically, but it’s still a bit odd, primarily because Reyes, who just turned 22, figures to be the Mets’ leadoff man for years. Taking him out of that element prompts the question of whether it could be detrimental to his development.
“Not at all,” Randolph said. “It’s all about the learning process. It’s all about experience.”
Cameron said he was “a little bit better” yesterday, but Victor Diaz again started in right.
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Since 2002, Cameron has had 79 at-bats in the leadoff spot and hit just .241 with a .291 on-base percentage. But said Randolph, “He sees more pitches. He’s more patient at the plate.”
Reyes has hit leadoff in every game he’s started this year, but he was fine with the move, reasoning that he’s hit second at times in each of the last two seasons. Said Reyes, “Whatever’s best for the team, man, I’m going to do.”
Randolph did note that a hot streak could propel Reyes back to the leadoff hole.
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Miguel Cairo was put on the 15-day DL yesterday with a strained left hamstring. Cairo had left Tuesday in the seventh inning with a tight hamstring and also was suffering from a tight left hamstring earlier this month.
“Hopefully when I come back, I’ll be healthy for the rest of the season,” Cairo said.
Kazuo Matsui started at second base last night, though Randolph said the position is “pretty much open.”
To replace Cairo, the Mets recalled 33-year-old first baseman Brian Daubach, who was tearing up Triple-A (.356, 11 homers).
St. John’s pitcher Jim Wladyka has signed to a free-agent contract with the Mets.
