Dickey injures heel in Mets' loss to Cubs
Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey lays on the ground after hurting himself during the third inning against the Cubs. (May 26, 2011) Credit: AP
CHICAGO -- Welcome to the Mets, David Einhorn.
In addition to that $200 million, better bring along a rabbit's foot, a four-leaf clover and a copy of Gray's Anatomy. The medical textbook -- not the TV show.
Typical Mets. Gain a deep-pocketed investor, lose a starting pitcher, all wrapped into one busy day.
Shortly after introducing Einhorn Thursday, the Mets watched R.A. Dickey take a nosedive into the turf at Wrigley Field in a 9-3 loss to the Cubs.
On a routine play, one executed countless times during the course of a season, Dickey rushed off the mound to cover first and fell with arms outstretched after taking a few steps onto the grass.
Dickey never threw another pitch in that third inning and limped off the field with an injury to his right heel. After the game, he had the foot in a protective boot and needed a crutch for the walk to the bus.
Dickey hurt himself when he broke toward first base, stopped and started up again.
"When I did, I felt a real intense burning sensation in my heel and involuntarily just went down," Dickey said. "I got up on the ball of my foot, at the beginning of starting to run again, and I felt like I stepped on a railroad spike."
Dickey will be examined Friday at the Hospital for Special Surgery. When asked if an Achilles tendon injury was ruled out, Dickey replied, "As far as they know."
"At this point, everything is speculation," he added. "Obviously, nobody in here is a doctor, so it's just going to require some patience and [Friday] we'll have a better idea of what we're up against. I'm hopefully optimistic."
The Mets can ill afford to put another player on the disabled list, especially a starting pitcher, a commodity in short supply at their minor-league level. Chris Young, the team's No. 4 starter, is gone for the season. Among position players, David Wright and Ike Davis have no set return date and Angel Pagan is expected back Friday.
Principal owner Fred Wilpon described his Mets as "snakebitten" in a story in The New Yorker. When Jason Bay was asked if that label fits, he laughed uneasily. Said Bay, "Is there a higher-up term than that?"
If Dickey winds up on the DL, the list of replacements is paper- thin. Manager Terry Collins offered Pat Misch -- whom the Cubs hammered Thursday -- along with the best of Triple-A Buffalo: Chris Schwinden (2.36 ERA) and Josh Stinson (6.02).
The manager did not seem prepared to wave goodbye to Dickey for a prolonged period.
"It would be big," Collins said. "Be a big loss."
As for Thursday's game, that was an ugly loss, made worse by having to endure temperatures in the low 40s.
The Mets' bullpen entered the game with a 2.29 ERA, which ranked third in the majors. Part of that success was that starters have pitched deep into games, and Dickey's premature exit opened the floodgates.
Pedro Beato allowed four runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by Carlos Peña. That pretty much sealed it, and now the Mets must keep their fingers crossed for Dickey.
"You've got to stay as healthy as you can," Collins said. "It's hard to keep asking guys from Triple-A, your extra players, to fill in for these guys."
