Jacobs designated, Bay sits, Ike on his way?
ST. LOUIS - Even in victory, a 20-inning game tends to leave a few marks, and the Mets arrived at Busch Stadium Sunday a different team from the one that left it after Saturday's 6-hour, 53-minute marathon.
Perhaps the most surprising development was the team's decision to designate Mike Jacobs for assignment, a move that is likely to pave the way for Ike Davis' debut Monday night at Citi Field.
The Mets needed another pitcher after using nine of them Saturday, so calling up righthander Tobi Stoner from Triple-A Buffalo was not unexpected. But dumping Jacobs, the Mets' cleanup hitter on Opening Day, seemed a bit drastic and sudden.
The decision was made late enough that Jacobs still was in the clubhouse as reporters filed in at 3:30 p.m. local time, which is unusual for a roster move - especially given that Stoner was informed of the news at about 12:30 a.m.
"I'm definitely disappointed," Jacobs said. "I felt like I was playing good defense and I felt like my swing was starting to come around. I didn't see it coming."
If Daniel Murphy had not suffered a sprained knee during the final week of spring training, there's a chance that Jacobs would not have made the Opening Day roster in the first place. But the Mets quickly lost patience in the Jacobs-Fernando Tatis platoon at first base, and with no definite timetable for Murphy's return, the obvious move would be to give the everyday job to Davis this week.
"That was tough," Jerry Manuel said of the Jacobs move. "We didn't quite see what we wanted to see in that brief opportunity he was given. It's a tough, tough deal."
The Mets weren't getting much out of Jacobs, who was batting .208 (5-for-24) with one homer, two RBIs and nine strikeouts in seven games. But their lineup for Sunday night was a reflection of how badly they are hurting from an offensive standpoint - and what few options Manuel has at his disposal this early in the season.
Complicating matters is the deepening April slump of Jason Bay, who finally was taken out of the lineup Sunday night after going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts Saturday. That dropped Bay to .222 (10-for-45) with 18 strikeouts, and he remains stuck on two RBIs - one behind Luis Castillo. Bay looked so lost Saturday that he actually swung through a "fastball" from outfielder Joe Mather before mercifully getting hit by a pitch.
"I'm living what you guys are watching," Bay said. "It's one of those things where timing-wise, I'm late on fastballs and early on breaking balls. I'm kind of in that in-between spot, and it's not the best time to play 20 innings when you got that feeling. Sunday was a long day."
The Mets entered last night batting .163 (17-for-104) with runners in scoring position. Manuel had hoped to "ride it out" with Bay as he fought to find himself, so his removal from the lineup was an indication that he had left the manager with no other choice. Manuel replaced Bay in the cleanup spot with Frank Catalanotto, who was making the first start as a No. 4 hitter in his 12-year career. "Unbelievable, huh?" Catalanotto said.
As for Bay, Manuel said the Mets understood he was a "streaky" hitter when they signed him to a four-year, $66-million contract in the offseason. This is just part of the package, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with when you're trying to win games with an exhausted lineup on April 18.
"We just have to give him a breather," Manuel said. "I just think he's a streaky guy and he's in one of those streaks. He's been around long enough to know what's going on."
