Al Leiter doesn’t pay attention to the weather. So the Mets’ veteran left-hander had no idea about yesterday’s forecast and the predicted downpour.
“I just assumed we were playing,” Leiter said.
But the rain began before the game’s scheduled starting time last night, and approximately 30 minutes after what should have been the first pitch, the contest was postponed. So, too, was Leiter’s start. He’ll now take the hill this afternoon instead.
The rainout will have a sort of domino effect on the Met rotation. Nobody will be skipped, but both Leiter and Steve Trachsel, who was supposed to start this afternoon, will be pushed back. Trachsel will now pitch the day game of tomorrow’s day-night doubleheader, with Matt Ginter wrapping up the weekend series tomorrow evening.
As for Leiter, the Mets could have been in trouble if he had begun his pregame warm-up. But as he noted, “I didn’t go out to warm up, so I’m definitely fine for [today].”
Art Howe was actually more concerned that the game might begin, only to be called after a few innings.
“The only thing I was worried about was them starting the game,” Howe said, “and then losing Leiter that way.”
Instead, Leiter, who last pitched a week ago, will now have six days off between starts. It’s the second straight time the 38-year-old has had that much rest between starts.
The first time, Howe said one of the main reasons he did not skip Jae Seo’s turn in the rotation was because he wanted to give Leiter extra rest (Leiter suffered from shoulder tendinitis in May). Now, Leiter has two extra days again.
“I guess I’ve always been one to enjoy the extra day, but I’m fine,” Leiter said. “It’s not like I needed it.”
Leiter often gets himself pretty worked up before a start, and he admitted it will be hard for him to come down from his excitement. “A little bit,” he said. “especially with the [short] turnaround [today]. But it is what it is.”
As for Trachsel, he insisted that although he’s being pushed back a day, his preparation will remain unchanged by the extra day’s rest.
“It doesn’t really matter,” said Trachsel, who did most of his video preparation yesterday,. “The only thing I really didn’t do was run. I’ll probably do some shoulder exercises.”
The Mets actually asked Trachsel which game tomorrow he wanted to start, giving him the option of pitching at night or in the afternoon. But Trachsel said that since he was already preparing for one day game, he might as well prepare for another.