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Francesa: Mets' Collins Deserves Credit For Resurgence Of Granderson, Bruce

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Not so long ago, many Mets fans were ready to give up on Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce.

Now Granderson is one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and Bruce might be finding his swing, too.

And manager Terry Collins deserves plenty of credit for sticking with them and finding a way to eventually get big contributions from each, WFAN's Mike Francesa said Thursday.

"The other part of being a manager -- and the part that people overlook too often -- is you have to figure out a way to salvage seasons," Francesa said on his show. "You've got to figure out a way to keep your team alive. You've got to figure out a way to keep players alive and utilize your roster. And that's what this manager has done this year."

Bruce, who had struggled mightily after being acquired in an Aug. 1 trade with Cincinnati, is hitting .438 in his last five games and has homered in each of the Mets' last two contests.

"I can't tell you how many guys last week did not want Bruce to ever step in the field again for the Mets," Francesa said. "They didn't want to see him again."

Meanwhile, Granderson is hitting .400 over his last 10 games and has hit 10 home runs since Aug. 30.

"Going back three or four weeks, I can't tell you how many calls we took ... of people who wanted Granderson banished from this team," Francesa said. "Didn't want him playing again. Wanted anybody (else). 'He's a bum. He's this. He's that.' Terry Collins believed in him.

"That's managing. That's salvaging your roster. That's breathing life into a dead player."

To listen to the full segment, click on the audio player above.

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