NEW YORK -- When their bus pulled back into Citi Field late Sunday following a road trip starved for offense, the Mets ranked dead last in baseball in runs over the past calendar month, and bottom five in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging.
So desperate were the Mets for offense that they were willing to gamble with their most expensive player's health, keeping Yoenis Cespedes away from the disabled list despite a strained right hip flexor. If the Mets found themselves in a close game Tuesday, Mets officials said, they would ask Cespedes to pinch-hit.