PHILADELPHIA -- First it was Josh Edgin, the left-handed reliever who underwent Tommy John surgery in March, followed by Jack Leathersich in July. In between, the Mets traded for Jerry Blevins, who fractured (and later re-fractured) his throwing arm and is likely out for the season. Left-handers Alex Torres and Sean Gilmartin never profiled as one-out specialists, despite their use in that role at times.
Now it's August and the one lefty specialist on New York's roster, Eric O'Flaherty, is struggling on a near-nightly basis. O'Flaherty faced five batters in the Mets' 9-4 win over the Phillies on Wednesday, retired two of them and allowed three runs.