The New York Mets had declared closer Frank Francisco unavailable for Saturday night's game against the New York Yankees due to a "side injury".
Mets Closer Frank Francisco Disabled With Oblique Strain
The Mets will be without their closer for at least 15 days.
Now, we know more about what this undisclosed injury turned out to be, and it’s not good news for the Mets or their fans:
#Mets place RHP Frank Francisco on the 15-Day DL, retroactive to June 23, with a left oblique strain.
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 24, 2012
Oblique injuries are tough to come back from, especially for a pitcher; Francisco could well miss several weeks.
Eric Simon of SB Nation’s Mets blog Amazin’ Avenue has the rundown of how the Mets will replace Francisco:
Bobby Parnell will get the first crack at closing games in Francisco's absence. His strikeout and walk numbers are very good — 30 whiffs and just eight walks in 30 innings — and he's pretty clearly a better option than any of Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez, or Miguel Batista.
The Mets will continue to go with a short bullpen for the time being; most teams regularly carry twelve pitchers but the Mets will make do with one fewer than that.
For more on the Mets, please visit SB Nation New York.
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