The New York Mets are in a massive rough patch. After dropping two games in a row to the Atlanta Braves, they will also be without two of their starting pitchers after Taijuan Walker's injury. With Carlos Carrasco sidelined for weeks due to an oblique strain, New York's pitching situation is not looking great.
Walker only made it 2.0 innings, allowing two walks and a hit, before his back tightened up and forced him to leave the game. The bullpen arms that followed him, R.J. Alvarez and Stephen Nogosek, allowed five total runs while the Mets lineup got shut out.
After the game, Walker told reporters that the timing of his injury was extremely brutal given how banged up the Mets are right now. “I knew my job tonight was to go as deep as possible and try to give the bullpen a break,” he said. “I felt like my stuff was good and I felt like I was going to be able to go six-plus innings. It sucks. The timing couldn’t be worse in something like this.”
Taijuan Walker will undergo testing on his back tomorrow. Mets manager Buck Showalter is not sure yet if Walker, who said his back "locked up" following that play at first base, will be able to make his next start.
Walker was also unsure. His comments: pic.twitter.com/kXHXZy3Ztw
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 17, 2022
The Mets feature two aces at the top of their rotation and another solid option in Chris Bassitt. After that, though, their options beyond Carrasco and Walker are not very good. Even their options behind them, Tylor Megill and David Peterson, are injured. They will likely bring Trevor Williams back into the starting lineup for the time being. Meanwhile, because of injuries to infielders Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme, New York is calling up top prospect Brett Baty.
Although the Mets still have a 3.5-game lead in the NL East, they will need to play at their very best to maintain it while their key depth pieces recover.
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