Lugo 'felt great' in return as Mets grind out W

PHOENIX -- As one injured Mets player returns to action, another sustains a new ailment. That’s been the undesirable trend the team has faced over the past few weeks.

In Wednesday’s 7-6 win over the D-backs at Chase Field, right-hander Seth Lugo made his first appearance of the 2021 season, tossing two innings of one-run relief. But in between the pair of frames, New York lost third baseman Jonathan Villar, who exited with right hamstring tightness.

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Although Lugo -- as well as first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Kevin Pillar -- returned during the three-game series at Arizona, the Mets still have 13 players on the IL. Manager Luis Rojas said Villar is day to day and will be reassessed Thursday. But if the infielder misses time, it would be another blow to a New York lineup already missing several key players.

“We’ll check again. He had full range of motion, strength, everything, per our medical staff,” Rojas said. “We’re going to get on a plane [to San Diego] and then we’ll see what we’re going to do [Thursday]. ... One of the things will be getting the treatment with him and checking how his status is.”

On the positive side for the Mets, Lugo, who underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow in February, impressed in his first outing. He retired the heart of the D-backs’ lineup in order in the fifth, needing only 10 pitches to do so.

When Lugo returned to the dugout, Rojas told him he’d get an opportunity to go back out for the sixth. That inning started a bit shaky, as Lugo gave up three straight hits -- a Pavin Smith double, a Nick Ahmed single and an Ildemaro Vargas RBI single that tied the game at 6.

However, Lugo turned a nice defensive play to halt Arizona’s momentum. He caught a liner off the bat of an attempted Tim Locastro bunt, then turned and fired to second base to double up Ahmed.

“To be honest with you, I thought I dropped it,” Lugo said. “I looked down trying to find the ball and it was in my glove, I didn’t even know it was in there.”

Lugo fanned Josh Reddick to end the sixth, getting him to swing through a 95.3 mph fastball. He threw his heater for 10 of his 30 offerings and induced three whiffs with the pitch, which averaged 92.9 mph.

Although Lugo was activated from the IL on Monday, he didn’t pitch in either of the first two games of the series as Rojas looked for a good spot to get him into a game. Lugo admitted that he was “a bit anxious” as he awaited his first big league appearance since last Sept. 27. But once he was out there again, he got back to dealing.

“I felt great, been building up to this since February, so exciting to get back out there and help the team win,” Lugo said. “But more importantly, I felt really good out there.”

After starter David Peterson allowed five runs on three hits and three walks and lasted only one-third of an inning, the Mets’ bullpen combined for 8 2/3 frames of one-run ball. Robert Gsellman went 3 2/3 scoreless innings and was followed by Lugo, Miguel Castro (who earned the win with two hitless frames) and Edwin Díaz, who bounced back from his first blown save of the season on Tuesday night to retire the D-backs in order in the ninth.

The Mets won on Alonso's tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth, capping a series win for the team. They scored four runs in the first, as they opened the game with six consecutive hits off D-backs starter Madison Bumgarner, including a three-run homer by James McCann.

While New York is still without some of its top hitters (infielders J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil; outfielders Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo), the healthy starters are powering the offense. That offensive surge has translated into 31 runs for the Mets over their past four games.

McCann (3-for-5, four RBIs), Francisco Lindor (3-for-5), Dominic Smith (3-for-4) and Alonso (2-for-5, game-winning RBI) all had big games on Wednesday. If Villar can’t play, that core will look to keep carrying the team. But Lindor is also confident in the Mets’ depth, which has them in first place in the National League East.

“We are the group that started the season,” Lindor said. “But everybody else that comes in to play, it’s all about giving quality at-bats and being a good team player, and then letting the guy behind you have that big moment.”