Yanks could bench struggling Swisher - MLB

Nick Swisher is scuffling. So much that Joe Girardi is “sleeping on” the idea of benching him for Game 6 against the Angels.

“We’ll sleep on it, and we’ll make a decision what we’re going to
do,” Girardi said Friday. “But Swisher is a good player and Swisher has
done a lot of good things for us this year. And you look at the matchup
against [Angels Game 6 starter Joe] Saunders — he’s had some hits off
of Saunders.

“It’s not just one guy necessarily that you think about,” Girardi
said. “You think about where you might put the parts. Do you flip-flop
guys? I don’t ever really rush into decisions, because the one thing
about the playoffs is you usually have a lot of time to think about it.”

Swisher is just 3-for-29 (.103) with
ten strikeouts during the postseason. He had a chance to play hero
against Brian Fuentes with the bases loaded and two out on Thursday,
but weakly flew out to shallow center field to force a Game 6. While
Swisher has been unproductive, you might be surprised to learn that
Mark Teixeira is batting just .171 (6-for-35) with nine strikeouts
during the postseason. And he’s certainly not sitting.

Swisher has enjoyed modest
success against Game 6 starter Joe Saunders, going 5-for-21 (.238) with
four walks, one home run and six RBI. If Girardi decides to bench him,
don’t be surprised to see him go with Jerry Hairston Jr., not Brett
Gardner, since he is right-handed. While Hairston would be the better
matchup against the southpaw, he hasn’t started a game in right field
since being acquired from the Reds in July. Not the ideal time for an experiment.

PITTSBURGH — The New York Mets will have to dig out of an early-season hole without star first baseman Pete Alonso.

The leading home run hitter in the majors will miss three-to-four weeks with a bone bruise and a sprain in his left wrist.

The Mets placed Alonso on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to June 8. Alonso was hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball from Charlie Morton in the first inning of a 7-5 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Alonso traveled to New York for testing on Thursday. X-rays revealed no broken bones, but the Mets will be missing one of the premier power hitters in the game as they try to work their way back into contention in the NL East.

“We got better news than it could have been,” New York manager Buck Showalter said. “So we take that as a positive. It could have been worse.”

New York had lost six straight heading into a three-game series at Pittsburgh that began Friday. Mark Canha started at first for the Mets in the opener. Mark Vientos could also be an option, though Showalter said the coaching staff may have to use its “imagination” in thinking of ways to get by without Alonso.

“I’m not going to say someone has to step up and all that stuff,” Showalter said. “You’ve just got to be who you are.”

Even with Alonso in the lineup, the Mets have struggled to score consistently. New York is 16th in the majors in runs scored.

The team also said Friday that reliever Edwin Uceta had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Uceta initially went on the IL in April with what the team called a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be out for at least an additional eight weeks.

New York recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and left-handed reliever Zach Muckenhirn from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets sent catcher Tomás Nido to Triple-A and designated reliever Stephen Nogosek for assignment.

Nogosek is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 games this season.