There are just two games left to play after Friday’s Mets loss to the Houston Astros, but the game last night provided a strong reminder that there are more important things than baseball.
Jonathon Niese exited in the sixth inning with an elevated heart rate, the third time in his career that the issue has come up during a game.
“It’s certainly something that you can’t mess with at the time,” Terry Collins said after the game. “He said it was really racing fast, so we took him out.”
While Niese said that “it’s not really that scary,” he’s due for another round of medical testing so that doctors can make sure. According to MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo, Niese was originally scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure to correct a problem with his heart in 2012, but doctors told him it was unnecessary and he cancelled it.
I hope that Niese is right, that his elevated heart rate isn’t a cause for major concern. But I’ll disagree with him on one point – any time we’re talking about heart issues, it’s scary. I know that I’ll be keeping him in my prayers.
At least the Mets got some relatively good medical news about one of their other players on Friday. When Sandy Alderson first broke the news Thursday night that catcher Travis d’Arnaud‘s mysterious injury affected his elbow, I had visions of something serious enough that it could cost him part of the 2015 season along with the last five games of 2014. Fortunately, that proved not to be the case.
d’Arnaud is scheduled for surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow on Wednesday, and the procedure should not affect his off-season routine or preparations for spring training. Who knows, maybe having the bone chips removed will help with d’Arnuad’s problems throwing out baserunners attempting to steal.
Sunday’s game won’t just mark the end of the season for Bobby Abreu, it will be the final game of his career. Last night, Abreu announced he will be retiring after 18 years in the big leagues. If the Mets really are looking for a replacement for hitting coach Lamar Johnson, they could do worse than Abreu.
PaulHadsall.com 