Terry Collins gives Jeurys Familia a night off
Jeurys Familia of the New York Mets walks to the dugout after the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field on Monday, June 15, 2015. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Terry Collins doesn't want to use Jeurys Familia for more than one inning at a time. But until someone steps up in the eighth, the temptation might just be too great.
There is a piper to be paid, though: Collins said he had to give Familia Tuesday night off after the closer threw 11/3 innings Monday night against the Blue Jays.
Familia blew the save on a Jose Bautista home run in the ninth in the Mets' 4-3, 11-inning win. He had pitched four of the previous five days.
"There's no perfect world here," Collins said. "We'd love to have that guy we could run out there in the eighth inning and just say, 'It's all yours' and bring Jeurys back in the ninth inning. We don't have that.
One option down the road could be former closer Jenrry Mejia, whose 80-game ban for steroid use ends on July 7. Mejia wouldn't rejoin the team right away, though, because he would have to go through a minor-league stint to build up the necessary arm strength.
"This was not about health," Collins said. "His arm is fine. So when he gets his reps in and he gets his command back as he's getting ready to pitch -- when he comes back -- he'll certainly be at the back end of that bullpen."
Mejia, who had 24 saves last season, is not eligible for postseason play this year because of his suspension.
Cuddyer sits again
Michael Cuddyer was not in the lineup for the second time in three days. Collins and the 36-year-old leftfielder said it was just to rest his legs before the Mets play two games on turf in Toronto.
"He'll probably DH one of the days in the next couple days due to the turf," Collins said. "We don't play on it very much, and even though Michael has for a number of years in Minnesota, that can beat you up, even if you're only there for a couple of days. No disrespect, but at his age we're going to make sure that his legs stay healthy."
Terry moves up
On Monday, Collins won his 339th game as Mets manager, tying Gil Hodges for third behind Davey Johnson (595) and Bobby Valentine (536).
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
