#Mets’ Jake Marisnick hopeful he can avoid trip to injured list

“#Mets’ Jake Marisnick hopeful he can avoid trip to injured list”

September 14, 2020 | 1:26am

BUFFALO — Jake Marisnick is holding out hope this latest hamstring discomfort won’t send him to the injured list.

The veteran outfielder on Sunday indicated his right hamstring was feeling better, a day after he departed the game with tightness in the muscle. Marisnick was on the IL last month because of a strain in the other hamstring.

“It’s been a little bit of a different season,” Marisnick said before the Mets lost 7-3 to the Blue Jays. “It’s a little frustrating, but it’s nicks and bruises. Everybody is dealing with stuff, but hopefully it’s something minor and I can get back out there on the field.”

Marisnick, who likely would have been in the lineup Sunday against lefty Hyun Jin Ryu, has thrived in a platoon role with Brandon Nimmo in center field.

“[Marisnick] has got the power, he’s got the speed, both on defense and on the bases, so it’s a good weapon,” manager Luis Rojas said. “Unfortunately he’s had a couple of momentum stops because of the injuries that he’s had, but right now we are hoping this is something that keeps him in there.”

The Mets recently released Billy Hamilton, leaving them without a true backup in center on the major league roster if Marisnick is sidelined.

Jeff McNeil left the game with gastrointestinal discomfort, but Rojas expects to have him back for the Mets’ next game. Luis Guillorme replaced McNeil at second base in the fourth inning.

Pete Alonso had a quiet weekend, after hitting five homers in seven games. Overall, Alonso was 1-for-13 in the three games against the Blue Jays.

“They are still pounding him in a lot and I think he’s following the pattern they are doing with him,” Rojas said. “In, in, in hard, he is able to lay off a few, but you could see it’s causing some effect at times when they go to the secondary pitches because he is out there trying to hunt them.

“We’ve seen him good and then all of a sudden he has two games or three where he doesn’t have the same approach, so he’s just got to stick to his pitches, to his strike zone.”

Erasmo Ramirez pitched two shutout innings for a third straight solid outing in an extended relief appearance. Rojas said he used Ramirez because he wanted Steven Matz and Michael Wacha fully fresh behind Rick Porcello on Tuesday in Philadelphia.