Mets manager Terry Collins left little doubt what his plan at third base in David Wright’s absence.
“Wilmer Flores,” Collins said before the Mets dropped their third straight, 6-0, to Atlanta on Sunday at Citi Field.
Flores has played well since taking over the regular third-base job on June 3. Even after Sunday’s hitless afternoon against Julio Teheran, Flores is hitting .333 (16-for-48) in his new role.
And while almost nothing went right in Sunday’s fiasco, Flores did manage to provide a highlight-reel catch of a Jace Peterson foul pop-up in the third. Flores hauled in the ball and held on despite toppling onto the tarp near the stands down the left-field line.
So while the Mets continue to monitor the third-base market for a potential Wright replacement, Collins is determined to bring some stability to the position — and to Flores.
“I know in the beginning, he was probably disappointed he wasn’t playing more,” Collins said. “But I’m not too sure bouncing around the infield didn’t affect him a little bit, too, so I’m going to leave him where he’s at.”
That leaves Kelly Johnson and Matt Reynolds to fill in at the other infield positions.
“That’s one of the benefits of having Kelly here,” Collins said. “We’ve got Matt who can certainly spell us at shortstop [and] we’ve got Kelly who can spell us at first and second, so I’m going to leave Flores where he’s at.”
Steven Matz, who reported elbow tightness and tenderness after Saturday’s start, said he felt fine Sunday and Collins insisted he would make his next scheduled start.
“He didn’t seem too concerned by it,” Collins said. “Just … when he was warming up it was a little tight and then he loosened up and when I told him he was done, he said, ‘Oh, my elbow’s a little tight anyway.’”
Collins added that Matz was coming out of the game after 99 pitches even before he mentioned his elbow.
Collins talked to third-base coach Tim Teufel about his ill-advised send of Flores in Saturday’s loss with what would have been the tying run.
“It was a read,” Collins said. “He told me he was concerned with [Jeff] Francoeur’s [arm] and when it got away from him, he thought [Flores] was gonna score. They’ve got to make two good throws and they did.”
As for Curtis Granderson’s soft throw into second that allowed Ender Inciarte to go to third and set up the winning run in the top of that inning, Collins was confident Granderson had learned his lesson.
“Will that ever happen again with Granderson? I would doubt that,” Collins said. “I’m sure you will never see that again. That throw will be headed to third base. There’s no question about it.”
The Mets have been shut out seven times this season and have been held to one hit twice, both times by Atlanta. … They are still waiting word on Jim Henderson’s shoulder tightness that forced him from Saturday’s game.