CINCINNATI -- As the postseason approaches, Wilmer Flores appears to be losing his grip on the Mets' starting shortstop job.
Ruben Tejada started at short for the third straight night and the fifth time in six games Friday, hinting at the Mets' intentions come October. But manager Terry Collins insisted the situation is due more to concern for Flores, who has appeared in a career-high 135 big league games and may be tiring down the stretch. A conversation with members of his coaching staff this week confirmed that much for Collins.
"They all thought Flo was starting to run out of gas a little bit," the manager said, citing third-base coach Tim Teufel and hitting coach Kevin Long in particular.