Mets miss chance to face Carlos Carrasco as Guardians series continues

Carlos Carrasco was scheduled to face his former team for the first time, but a surprise trip to the injured list derailed those plans.

Instead of Carrasco, Xzavion Curry will be on the bump for the Cleveland Guardians as they try to earn a fifth straight win against the visiting New York Mets on Tuesday night.

Carrasco suffered an acute neck spasm on Tuesday, leading the Guardians to scratch him from the start and place him on the 15-day injured list. Curry was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make the spot start.

Carrasco, a 37-year-old right-hander, was traded from Cleveland to the Mets along with Francisco Lindor in January 2021 after spending his first 11 MLB seasons in Cleveland. Though he won at least 11 games in four straight seasons (2015-18), injuries and a 2019 leukemia diagnosis hindered his progress in Cleveland.

Carrasco pitched three inconsistent seasons for the Mets before returning to Cleveland, originally as a non-roster invitee before the season. He had pitched better of late, amassing a 3.00 ERA in three starts in May.

Curry (0-0, 0.00 ERA) started one game for Cleveland this season, going five innings April 15 at Boston. He held the Red Sox scoreless on two hits, struck out three and walked one. He'll get the ball again for the American League Central-leading Guardians who have won seven of eight and are amid a 14-3 stretch at home.

The 25-year-old has made 44 big-league appearances, starting 12 games, and has thrown 109 1/3 career innings with a 4.03 ERA and a 3-5 record.

Tuesday was meant to be the first time Lindor faced Carrasco as an opponent.

"That's my brother," Lindor said. "This is the first year (Carrasco) is not next to me in my 10-year career."

Lindor's average dropped to .193 after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and received a courteous ovation from the Guardians' faithful during Monday's 3-1 loss in his return to Cleveland. The Mets managed only Tomas Nido's third-inning homer and five other hits while losing for the 18th time in 27 games.

Adrian Houser (0-3, 7.44) is slated to return to the Mets' rotation for a spot start Tuesday. The right-hander was sent to the bullpen after posting an 8.16 ERA in six starts this season for New York. Since then, he's allowed three runs -- one earned -- with four hits and three walks over four innings of two relief outings.

"He's working really hard to his credit, and we're pretty confident that he'll get back to the pitcher we know he's capable of being," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said about Hauser earlier this month.

Cleveland's David Fry has a hit in his only at-bat versus Houser -- the only current Guardians batter with a hit against Houser. Fry had a two-run single Monday and is batting .385 with eight RBIs in his last 15 games.

J.D. Martinez has been New York's most consistent hitter. He doubled Monday and is batting .361 in his last nine games. Martinez is also hitting .370 (10-for-27) with two doubles and two homers versus Carrasco.

--Field Level Media