Kirk Nieuwenhuis flashes defense
New York Mets center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis leaps to catch a deep fly-out by Philadelphia Phillies' Brian Schneider in the second inning. (April 14, 2012) Credit: AP
PHILADELPHIA -- Terry Collins said he intends to rest Lucas Duda against lefthander Cole Hamels in Sunday's series finale. The manager's plan is to use Scott Hairston in rightfield and stick with rookie Kirk Nieuwenhuis in centerfield, where he made an outstanding catch in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Phillies.
Nieuwenhuis (1-for-4), chased down Brian Schneider's long fly to the deepest part of the right-centerfield triangle. At the warning track, Nieuwenhuis jumped to snare the ball with his outstretched glove before spinning into the wall in front of the 398 sign. The catch probably saved at least one run.
"Full-bore, headed for the wall," Collins said. "I wish I could tell you how many times I saw it two years ago [in the minors]. This is how he plays. You're going to have fun watching this guy play."
With Andres Torres (strained left calf) making progress at a glacial pace in Port St. Lucie, the Mets are in no hurry to have him back, especially with Nieuwenhuis getting the chance to develop at the major-league level.
So much for moving Daniel Murphy to third base.
After floating the idea the past few days in the event that David Wright wound up on the disabled list, Collins had no need for that contingency plan once Wright returned to the lineup Saturday.
That didn't put to rest, however, the bigger issue of Murphy's competency at second base, where he still is learning the position. On Friday, with the Mets holding a 5-1 lead in the ninth inning, the Phillies tacked on a run and kept a rally alive when Murphy allowed a grounder to scoot between his legs.
That was Murphy's second error in seven games. Collins insists that his confidence in him hasn't wavered despite the suggested position switch connected to any prolonged absence by Wright.
"You better grow from it," Collins said of the error.
As for possibly messing with Murphy's head in talking about third base, the manager shrugged it off. "I can't be worried about it," Collins said. "We talked about it this morning in the coaches' meeting. I'm not going to keep pulling out every guy that we think is a defensive liability. We don't have enough players. These guys, they've got to be able to make those plays, and I think Dan is going to be fine doing it."
That's not to say Collins won't replace him with a defensive upgrade in the late innings, as he already has done twice.
