Those Mets

MANUEL TO MAKE "BOLD MOVE"

JERRY FURIOUS WITH LINE-UPS LACK OF PRODUCTION

At a loss after watching the middle of his lineup struggle once again, Mets Manager Jerry Manuel made it clear late Wednesday night that he was getting ready to make one or two bold moves with his struggling lineup. The Mets had just lost to the Chicago Cubs, 9-3, and David Wright, Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur, all right-handed hitters, had combined for two hits and were starting to hear boos from a small but noticeable group of fans at Citi Field. Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who had a two-run home run, a triple and three runs batted in, had as many extra-base hits as the entire Mets lineup. Manuel said he could not stand by much longer and do nothing. He indicated after the loss that he would give Wright, Bay and Francoeur one more chance Thursday before he would give one or more a rest, and he seems prepared to split them up to get a left-handed or switch-hitter somewhere between them. He said he would wait until after Thursday’s game because the Cubs will send a left-hander, Tom Gorzelanny, to the mound in the finale of a four-game series in which the Mets won the first two games. “I know they will play tomorrow,” Manuel said, “but I’ll have to view it again as we go into the next series” against the Atlanta Braves. Clearly uncertain about what to do, Manuel has been tinkering with several different lineups, some of which include Jose Reyes batting third. But Reyes is still not completely comfortable at the plate, and Manuel does not want to make that move until he is. He said he was also considering using the rookie Ike Davis somewhere in between those three right-handed hitters. Angel Pagan is another option who could be used in the No. 3 spot. Manuel said he might do something to try to help Bay, who is batting .241 and has 22 strikeouts in 54 at-bats. One idea Manuel proffered is to bat Bay second as a way to get him more fastballs, ostensibly because there would be a potential base stealer on base in front of him. “What I’ll probably have to do is find a way to where, if his pitch is a fastball, I have to find a way to have some pressure on first base where he’ll get that fastball,” Manuel said. “I might have to bat him second, you know. I’ve got to find a way where he can at least get a look at his pitch while he’s struggling to get him going.” After the game, Bay had left the clubhouse before reporters entered, but Wright, who continues to play terrific defensively, said that he would be perfectly happy to bat wherever Manuel put him, that he just wanted to win. “It’s time for me to get going and start feeling more and more confident in the box,” said Wright, who is hitting .240. “You can go up there and have good at-bats and not get the results you’d like, but I also feel like I’ve given some at-bats away.” The lack of hitting was not the only problem for the Mets on Wednesday, just the one that has been most enduring this season. The pitching has been impressive for the most part, but on Wednesday Oliver Perez could not last beyond the fifth inning, and four Mets pitchers issued nine walks. But for Manuel, that was an anomaly, and the most pressing issue will be how and when to start juggling the lineup. “Those are some things I’ll be trying to sleep on the next couple of nights, if I get any sleep,” he said.