WEST PALM BEACH — Asdrubal Cabrera was going to go quietly, but not without making a statement. The Met shortstop had commented to umpire Angel Hernandez, who called a strike on him as he asked for time, when the home-plate umpire decided to throw him out of the game.
So at the end of the top of the fourth inning, Cabrera gathered up his things and took a leisurely stroll back to the visiting clubhouse, which at the brand new Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is in right field. As the Nationals warmed up, Cabrera walked slowly from the third-base dugout through the infield and into right field. The Nationals had to wait a few minutes before the game could restart.
“I mean, I have to take my time, he threw me out,” Cabrera said with a smile. “There is nothing I can do, you have to cross the field to come out.”
Cabrera had stepped out of the box and had his hand up as Nationals right-hander Erick Fedde fired a pitch. Hernandez called a strike.
“I didn’t say anything to him. I asked, ‘Why you didn’t give me the time?’ He said it was too late. He yelled at me go back to the box,” Cabrera said. “I said ‘Come on, can we talk a little bit?'”
With Terry Collins yelling from the dugout, Cabrera got back in the box. On the next pitch, he slapped a line drive to center for a single and made a point to look back at Hernandez as he dropped his bat, but claims he didn’t say anything. When the play was over, Hernandez threw him out.
Collins came out of the dugout and argued the decision as Cabrera jogged back to the dugout. When play resumed, Neil Walker stood outside the box, bat on his shoulder and called for time as a pitch came in. Hernandez also called a strike on him.
At the end of the top half of the inning, Collins and Hernandez huddled for a much calmer discussion as Cabrera started his walk through the field.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Cabrera said. “Never in spring training.”
Collins would only shake his head and say he didn’t want to talk about his heated discussion with Hernandez.
“The game is for the players,” Collins said. “Let them play.”
ANOTHER LOOK
For the second straight game, Collins used a lineup that had Curtis Granderson in the No.4 spot and Jay Bruce sixth and Lucas Duda seventh. This time the Mets were shutout by the Nationals.
Collins isn’t committed to any lineup at the moment.
“Really I don’t know what it’s going to be right now. I really don’t,” Collins said. “We’ll decide night to night, who we are facing and who fits where.
“Again, when we get to Opening Day, we’ll have it down,” Collins said. “Right now I have no idea what the lineup is going to be.”
With a lineup full of left-handed power hitters, Collins will struggle to break them up.
“It’d be nice just to keep the other team from bringing that left-handed guy,” Collins said.
OUT OF TIME
Brandon Nimmo is running out of time. The outfielder who pulled his hamstring in the World Baseball Classic over a week ago is not close to playing in games, according to Collins.
Nimmo was an early favorite to be the Mets’ left-handed bat off the bench, but the time lost to this injury is making it look more like Michael Conforto will make the roster.
