Mets May Bench Thole For Paulino After Rough Night
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- Josh Thole not only killed the Mets' ninth-inning rally on Tuesday night, but he also had a nightmarish game behind the plate.
The young catcher had a throwing error, struggled catching R.A. Dickey's knuckleball and failed to nail the Giants on 3-of-3 stolen base attempts.
All that considered, manager Terry Collins may give Ronny Paulino a chance to contribute behind the dish.
"Not just that," Collins said after the Mets' 7-6 loss, "but maybe to let Josh clear his head a little bit."
New York had the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, but Thole grounded into a 1-2-3 double play against Lopez to end the inning.
"It's a matter of relaxing. That's the bottom line," said Thole. "I get tight a little bit, I've got to get away from that."
The Mets have dropped four of five following a season-high six-game winning streak, and in Tim Lincecum they'll face a Cy Young winner for the third time in four contests.
"Well, if you're going to win, you've got to face the best there is," Collins told the team's official website.
Collins will give the ball to Chris Capuano (2-2, 6.04), who has alternated wins and losses in his four starts. The left-hander gave up four runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 4-3 loss at Washington on Thursday. That performance came a week after he limited Houston to one run in seven innings of a 9-1 home win.
Capuano is 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA in eight games - four starts - against the Giants. However, he hasn't started against them since Sept. 23, 2006, as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jose Reyes went 3 for 3 Tuesday, and is hitting .367 with four doubles and eight runs over his last 12 games. He's 4 for 9 off Lincecum.
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