Mets Starter Pulled After 2 Innings; Headed For MRI

Things had been going pretty well for the New York Mets in the starting pitching department. Max Scherzer is back. Jacob deGrom is back. And they are both dealing. 

A bit of a blip Monday night, however, as Carlos Carrasco was forced to leave his start against the Atlanta Braves after just two innings due to left side tightness. The Mets would go on to lose the game 13-1. 

SNY cameras picked up Carlos Carrasco grabbing his left side in the dugout after the second inning. He had just returned to the mound following a 55-minute rain delay.

It appears that Carrasco's night is done, with Joely Rodríguez warming in the bullpen.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 16, 2022

As noted by Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo, the injury occurred when Carrasco returned to the mound after a 55-minute rain delay.

“What happened is it just got tight, and I didn’t want to push it,” Carrasco said. “On the last pitch of the game, I just felt tight. … We’ve just got to wait until tomorrow, how I feel tomorrow, and then we’ll go from there.”

Losing Carrasco for any period of time would be a big blow to the rotation, as he'd been undefeated since the beginning of July, with a 1.69 ERA in seven starts. The Mets were 7-0 in those starts. 

An MRI on Tuesday should reveal more information, and the Mets can decide where to go from there. 

New York's lead in the NL East was cut to 4.5 games over the surging Braves, who have now won seven straight games. The Mets dropped to a still pretty respectable 8-2 in their last ten. 

Photos: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports