Mets now getting production from catchers Tomas Nido and James McCann
Mets catcher Tomas Nido is greeted in the dugout after his solo home run during the third inning against the Cubs in an MLB game at Citi Field on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
For months, Mets fans clamored for an upgrade at catcher, either in the form of a deadline trade or a promotion for prospect Francisco Alvarez. But as the team faces its stretch run, one of its offensive holes is becoming an offensive weapon.
Tomas Nido and James McCann, the defensive-minded platoon that has been a bit of an offensive vacuum at the bottom of the lineup, have heated up in recent weeks. The tandem went into Friday with a .348/.414/.587 slash line in September, marking the highest batting average in the National League out of the position this month. McCann was hitting .201 overall and Nido was up to .240.
“It feels great,” said Nido, who hit both of his homers this month and was batting .300 since the All-Star break. “The bottom of the order is getting on base and creating some traffic for the top of the order to drive them in and score as many runs as we can . . . I’m sure it makes it easier for Buck [Showalter] that, no matter who he puts out there, things are going good right now.”
McCann was batting .286 with a .375 on-base percentage in his last 12 games. And though Showalter said he is more concerned with his catchers’ defensive abilities, he’ll certainly take the extra production.
Defense “may not be sexy and people don’t dwell on it, but that part of the game is probably more key than hitting at that position, and when you get some things going offensively, you know you’re in really good shape,” Showalter said this week.
When the bottom of the order isn’t clicking, opposing pitchers think they “don’t have to put their best foot forward on every pitch but [now] . . . if they don’t, Mac and Tomas have been making them pay.”
Injury updates
Tylor Megill (shoulder) was to pitch the final out of an inning in Triple-A Syracuse and the inning after that to see how he does pitching with a break in between. He got the last out of the third inning but struggled with his command in the fourth. He allowed a run and two hits, with a strikeout, a wild pitch, a hit batsman and a walk in one inning. This seems likely to be his final rehab appearance before he rejoins the Mets and gets slotted into the bullpen . . . Drew Smith (lat strain) pitched a perfect fifth for Syracuse with a strikeout. Joey Lucchesi (Tommy John surgery) started that game and allowed no runs and one hit in 2 2⁄3 innings . . . Max Scherzer (side fatigue) is on track to pitch Monday, Showalter said.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
