In a season marked by numerous injuries for the right-handed starter, New York Mets pitcher Paul Blackburn has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to another setback. He will be sidelined for his next start with a bruised right hand.
He was hit on the hand while protecting his head from David Peralta’s 100-mph line drive during the Mets’ 7-0 defeat to the San Diego Padres on Friday. Blackburn exited the game in the third inning.
After a successful session in New York’s bullpen on Sunday, Mets manager David Peralta is optimistic that his right-handed starting pitcher will be ready to return after his stint on the IL.
He went out there and played catch [Sunday]. As anticipated, he was stiff and sore, Mendoza said, according to ESPN. He should be fully prepared to return by the time he’s eligible to come off the IL.
Blackburn, who was traded to the Mets from the Oakland Athletics in late July, has a 1-2 record with a 5.18 ERA in his five starts for the team.
The Mets fell to the Padres 3-2 on Sunday, leveling their four-game series at 2-2 for the weekend. San Diego equalized the score 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, leading to a walk-off home run by Padres rookie Jackson Merrill in the bottom of the ninth.
Following solo home runs from J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos, Mets’ reliever Joe Butto allowed two runs in the eighth inning. Closer Edwin Diaz (5-2) suffered his second loss of the season when Merrill’s walk-off homer resulted in the Mets’ third defeat in six games.
With the Mets trailing the Atlanta Braves by 2.5 games in the NL Wild Card race, the news about Blackburn is concerning for the near future. Blackburn missed two and a half months due to a stress reaction in his right foot before being traded to New York. Since joining the Mets from the A’s, he has struggled to adjust. Blackburn acknowledges that the transition from Oakland has been frustrating.
“I had eight starts at the start of the year before fracturing my foot. After recovering, I managed five more starts,” Blackburn said, according to the New York Post. “I feel like I haven’t been able to establish a rhythm or routine, and just when I had the chance to help the team make the playoffs, I took a line drive off my hand. It’s been quite frustrating.
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