Quite a few topics came up on Luis Rojas' weekly appearance with Carton & Roberts on Monday, some of which were good and some of which were questionable for Mets fans.
The former: Jacob deGrom is fine, and actually chose to pitch Friday against the Nationals at Citi Field, instead of Thursday in the series finale at Wrigley.
"No cause for concern. Two guys pitched Saturday and one had a lesser pitch count, so why not have that one come back on Thursday and Jake on Friday?" Rojas said, referring to the Saturday doubleheader in Colorado where Joey Lucchesi pitched Game 2 and had less pitches than deGrom in Game 1. "Given that option, Jake chose Friday, to pitch at home against the Nationals."
The latter is Brandon Nimmo, who is out of the starting lineup Wednesday due to right hip stiffness, but could possibly be used later in the game if needed.
"He talked to us before yesterday's game about it, but he ran and hit and said he could go. Today the stiffness didn't go away. He doesn't feel it's going to get any worse, but he wants it to get better," Rojas said. "The recommendation from the medical staff was to not start him and keep reassessing, and right now, we feel he's available if we need him. Hopefully some extra treatment and less pregame activity can help loosen up the stiffness, but this was best so we have him in the long run."
Somewhere in between is Francisco Lindor, who made the final out of Tuesday's game and is still on the interstates…but, again, could just be one big hit away from a tear.
"We're not seeing the same approach we saw this spring; I think he's out front a bit, and leaving his back side a little bit, and it's causing him to lose leverage," Rojas said. "There are a lot of things that go into it, and I feel watching him that he's a good swing away from clicking. He works hard and has a good feel for his body, so he's one or two good at-bats away."
And, perhaps in both categories is JD Davis, whose defense at third has been much maligned, and he didn't help that narrative with a pair of poor plays at the hot corner Tuesday night – but the skipper believes that, too, will get better.
"Our confidence in him is high; that's one game, early, and with all the work he's put in, he can learn from this," Rojas said. "The two plays yesterday, his clock was one, and the other, he wasn't pre-set in his direction to make the throw. But he can only learn from this; he got out there early today to work on his defense, and we trust JD there."
He will be challenged Wednesday night, facing a righty-heavy Cubs lineup against a ground-ball lefty in David Peterson, but Rojas thinks Davis is up to the challenge – the same way the Mets have been up to all the challenges they have faced this year so far.
"From a mental standpoint, being prepared, they've done a good job," Rojas said of his team. "That first series of the season got us through the opening day excitement, and it didn't go the way we wanted it to. So, the other times we've had setbacks, the guys have been mentally strong. It just shows a good sign from this group."
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