“Game 3 is an important game”, Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
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The New York Mets don’t know how they’ll be able to use Steven Matz in the NLDS after he was scratched from Thursday’s start against the Philadelphia Phillies because of continued upper-back stiffness on his right side.
He has put together a nice rookie season, going 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA. Nothing is ever ideal, but I think we have a lot of confidence in our young guys.
Additionally, manager Terry Collins previously said Matz would not be used out of the bullpen, which all but confirmed he’d be a starter in the playoffs, further spurring rumors.
The Mets said yesterday that this injury was incredibly minor and that Matz would start on Thursday. He’s only started once in the playoffs in the last nine years, when Oakland lost to the Tigers in 2013.
“When he goes out and pitches, however many times that is, yeah, the reins will be off”, Collins said. He’s been out there; he’s done it. You kind of feel confident when he’s out there [because] the environment, the surroundings, won’t bother him. “But it’s still an issue when you’ve got to get this guy ready”. He otherwise kept the Phillies at bay. The run pushed Philadelphia’s lead to 4-1 in the seventh.
Niese followed Colon and allowed a run on three hits in his first relief appearance this season. With the NL East crown back in New York, all focus has turned to the postseason.
Talking to former Mets GM Jim Duquette on SiriusXM’s Major League Baseball Network Radio channel Wednesday morning, Wright said that the big right-hander was caught in the middle between the Mets, his teammates, his doctor and his agent Scott Boras, but now things are “back to normal”.
Logan Verrett will start in Matz’s place, and Matz did not undergo any tests.
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A lingering back injury has jeopardized Steven Matz’s chances of making the Mets’ postseason roster.
