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Palladino: Losing Familia Will Prove Biggest Blow To Mets' Playoff Hunt

By Ernie Palladino
» More Ernie Palladino Columns

It should be pretty obvious by now that an inhuman spate of injuries has undermined the first two months of the Mets' season.

The optimists out there will say there's plenty of baseball left, and therefore plenty of time for people like Yoenis Cespedes, Steven Matz and, yes, even Noah Syndergaard to get healthy again and lead a late-season charge up the NL East ladder.

But as true as that might be, it is equally true that some injuries count more than others. Not that ace Syndergaard's torn lat muscle should be minimized, or that anyone should shrug off the tight quad that has delayed slugger Cespedes' rehab from a strained left hamstring, but the Mets have compensated for both of them.

Jeurys Familia
The Mets' Jeurys Familia warms up before pitching the third inning of a spring training game against the Houston Astros on Feb. 27, 2017, in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

But losing closer Jeurys Familia to a blood clot in his right arm has proved a death blow to the Mets' hopes for a division title, and probably even contention for a wild-card spot.

He's the one guy they haven't replaced, and will never replace. At least not this year.

MORE: Sims: Good Thing Familia's Blood Clot Was Discovered Now

They simply don't have a Dellin Betances in their bullpen.

New York has gotten to know Betances well, mainly as a setup man for Andrew Miller two years ago and Aroldis Chapman the past two seasons. But when Chapman went to the disabled list with an inflamed rotator cuff May 14, Betances was there to step into the closer's role.

The Yanks haven't missed a beat since then. Betances, who performed the same role last year after Brian Cashman shipped Miller and Chapman to the Indians and Cubs, respectively, in July, has hit on five of six save opportunities. He was especially impressive Saturday when manager Joe Girardi called on him for a five-out save against the A's.

Terry Collins? He's struggling mightily to find any workable combination for a bullpen that throws more gas on the mound than at the batter.

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Say what you will about Familia's problems in the postseason, but the division title that led to the World Series in 2015 wouldn't have been possible without Familia's 43 saves. Nor would last year's wild-card finish have happened without Familia saving 51 of those 87 victories.

With Familia out, probably for the season, the only gun Collins has to make up for those 94 saves in two years is Addison Reed. Like Betances, he made his bones in a setup role. Unlike Betances, he's hardly as effective a closer.

Though certainly game enough, Reed proved last year that closer is not his true calling, as he blew four out of five opportunities. This year, he's already blown two out of eight chances, the latest coming in Saturday's extra-inning loss to the Pirates. Reed gave up the tying run in the ninth on three hits.

He has allowed five hits and two runs in his last two innings, and nine hits and four runs in his last 7 2/3 innings.

He's no Familia. But let's not lay all the Mets' problems at Reed's doorstep. The cast in front of him is no great shakes, either.

Hansel Robles was so bad that they had to send him down to the minors. Rafael Montero failed miserably as a middle reliever, then as a starter, and was sent down Friday.

Opponents are hitting a healthy .278 against Fernando Salas, whose ERA is 5.56 ERA. And new arrival Neil Ramirez doesn't look like he'll be the answer to anything.

The Mets have a hard enough time just getting to Reed. Despite the absence of Cespedes, the offense has provided them with a respectable amount of late-game leads. But the Mets have blown seven of them, either at the hands of Reed or his predecessors.

Only the Rangers have blown more.

Without a reliable closer like Familia, the Mets can never rest easy even when the middle relievers get a lead to the ninth. Familia's absence has carried repercussions all the way to the front of the bullpen. It's a big reason they went into Sunday's game in Pittsburgh at 20-27, in third place, and 8½ games off the wild-card pace.

Reed is game, but he's not a real closer. And they don't have a Betances to step up as the Yankees do.

For all the other myriad injuries -- and there have been plenty -- the one they won't compensate for is Familia's.

His will turn out to be the death blow.

Please follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino

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