Anthony Swarzak’s hellish first season with the Mets has taken a turn even further south.
The right-handed reliever has been diagnosed with an inflammation in his shoulder and Sunday was placed on the disabled list. Swarzak spent most of the first two months of the season on the DL with a strained oblique.
Swarzak has pitched to a 6.00 ERA in 22 appearances this season with three saves. The Mets signed Swarzak to a two-year deal worth $14 million last offseason and then placed him on the DL after only two appearances in the regular season.
“I had to revamp my throwing program pretty quick to come back,” Swarzak said before the Mets lost 5-4 to the Braves in 10 innings. “We all saw the results of that weren’t very good, but the effort level was there. I think this is the end result of going full [throttle] after the injury. Luckily we caught it early.”
Swarzak also missed time in spring training with a calf injury. Jacob Rhame was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Swarzak’s spot in the bullpen.
Jose Bautista went hitless in five at-bats and is 0-for-23 over his past six games with 12 strikeouts. Bautista came to the plate in the 10th inning Sunday with the tying run at third base and one out, but hit a grounder to third base that held the runner. Todd Frazier was then retired to end the game. Bautista’s batting average dipped to .198.
“He’s been chasing a little bit more, the balls in the dirt,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “The good breaking balls he seems not to recognize as well at this moment, and the walks aren’t coming for him. He is a professional and he will get it back at some point.”
Devin Mesoraco’s game-tying blast was his fourth homer in the ninth inning since joining the Mets in May. Only the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton has more ninth-inning homers (five) this season among major league players.
Michael Conforto finished 2-for-5 and raised his average to .315 since the All-Star break. Conforto has three homers and nine RBIs in those 15 second-half games.
The Mets are 4-12 against the Braves this season. The NL East rivals will play a three-game series at Citi Field in late September.