NEW YORK -- New York Mets setup man Tyler Clippard returned to the mound on Monday after being sidelined during the weekend with back tightness. Clippard's struggles then continued Tuesday, although manager Terry Collins said the subpar performance was unrelated to the back issue that briefly idled the reliever.
Clippard allowed a two-run double to Adonis Garcia in the ninth inning to cap the scoring in the Atlanta Braves' 6-2 win against the Mets at Citi Field.
Clippard has allowed nine earned runs and four homers in his last 8 2/3 innings.
"That's not the problem," Collins said about the back.
Clippard pitching in the ninth inning Tuesday with the Mets trailing by two runs suggests Collins was trying to get the reliever work in a less critical situation so Clippard can iron out kinks. Given how well Addison Reed has pitched since joining the Mets, it will be interesting to see if Reed gets the eighth inning over Clippard the next time the Mets have a narrow lead. Reed has tossed 11 1/3 scoreless innings since arriving in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Clippard also allowed a three-run homer to Garcia on Sept. 12 at Turner Field. Collins said the issue was the same in both instances -- location.
"The ball that Garcia hit in Atlanta, he got him in a good count and he left a changeup up, over the plate," the manager said. "If that ball is down over the plate, it might be a hit. I'm not saying he's not going to get a hit. But he's leaving balls in the middle of the strike zone -- up. He's being hurt by that. It's just a matter of making better pitches."
