DENVER — Asdrubal Cabrera has seen the light.
Once a disgruntled Mets employee who wanted to remain a shortstop, Cabrera now realizes his new role as a utility infielder is his best path to a job somewhere next season. He also hopes that job is with the Mets.
“I’m done with that position,” Cabrera said, referring to shortstop, before he delivered three hits Wednesday night for the Mets in their 10-5 comeback victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. “I talked about it with my family earlier this year in spring training and I told them I think this is the last year I’m going to be a shortstop.”
Even so, Cabrera was so angry in June when team officials moved him from shortstop to second base on short notice, he asked for a trade. And now? Cabrera, installed at third base, wants to stay, hoping the club will pick up his $8.5 million option for next season, after the team failed to move him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
“I would like to come back here and play another year with the team because we have a lot of good guys and I like this team a lot,” Cabrera said. “Playing in New York is fun.”
Playing at Coors Field was fun for the Mets on Wednesday, when they scored 10 unanswered runs over four innings and snapped a three-game losing streak. Cabrera was right in the middle of the parade.
Curtis Granderson’s three-run homer was the Mets’ biggest hit in the sixth, when they scored six runs to take a 10-5 lead. After Yoenis Cespedes’ RBI double tied the game, Jay Bruce walked and Granderson cleared the fence in right-center for his 14th homer of the season.
The Mets weren’t finished. Michael Conforto’s single brought in another run in the inning before Cabrera stroked an RBI double for the Mets’ 10th run.
Amed Rosario’s first major league extra-base hit and RBI came on a triple in the fifth. Rosario later scored on Travis d’Arnaud’s RBI ground out, pulling the Mets within 5-4. Granderson reached on first
baseman Mark Reynolds’ error to start the rally.
“I really trust my legs and as long as that ball is in front of me I feel confident I can take the extra base,” Rosario said.
Rookie Chris Flexen departed with a blister on his right index finger after pitching three innings and allowing five earned runs on eight hits and one walk. It was a virtual repeat performance from his major league debut last week in San Diego.
“I felt like I had a better tempo tonight,” Flexen said. “But obviously not the outcome I wanted. I need to do a better job of keeping us in the game.”
The Mets (49-56) received six scoreless innings from the bullpen, with Chasen Bradford and Paul Sewald throwing two shutout innings apiece. AJ Ramos pitched the ninth in a non-save situation.
“This is a tough place to pitch and our bullpen has had some tough times,” manager Terry Collins said. “This was a big game for them.”
Bruce’s fourth homer of the road trip and 29th this season sliced the Rockies’ lead to 5-2 in the fourth. The Mets’ first run of the game scored earlier in the inning when Cespedes grounded into a double play.
Rosario’s initiation Tuesday included mishandling a grounder in the ninth inning after breaking to cover second base with Charlie Blackmon running. Rosario pivoted in an attempt to make the backhanded stop, but the ball caromed off his glove for a single.
The ensuing batter, Nolan Arenado, delivered a walk-off RBI single.
“[Rosario] shouldn’t feel down about it, because that is a tough play,” Neil Walker said. “That’s a 100-mph-plus ball off the bat and you are moving toward the bag. You try to catch it on the backhand. He seems like a confident kid, somebody who doesn’t get affected by situations or things that might happen.”