Torres Gets Late Call for Mets in Loss

undated - Early Monday morning, Bartolo Colon learned that his ailing mother Adriana Morales, who earlier this year was diagnosed with breast cancer, was gravely ill. Colon, the scheduled starter for the series finale against the Chicago Cubs, immediately departed for the Dominican Republic to be by his mother's side.

Colon's sudden and unexpected departure left the Mets without a starter for Monday's afternoon game. The tragic news had also come late enough in the day where the Mets did not have an opportunity to call someone up from the minors to make the start against the Cubs or to fill out the team's bullpen. The Mets Class AAA affiliate is inconveniently located in Las Vegas, making it nearly impossible for the team to make a last-minute roster move.

With few options, Mets Manager Terry Collins gave reliever Carlos Torres the start despite the fact that he had thrown nine pitches in a third of an inning of relief in Sunday's loss to the Cubs. When Torres took the mound on Monday, he became just the fourth pitcher in Mets history to make a start on zero day's rest.

Torres pitched five scoreless innings, filling in admirably for Colon in the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Cubs but did not earn a decision. Torres, who threw a season-high 86 pitches on Monday, had not made a start since September 2013. The Mets, who had just four hits, tied a team record by recording four hits or fewer in five consecutive games.

Anthony Rizzo's eighth-inning home run to right field against Buddy Carlyle broke a 1-1 tie and helped the Cubs earn a split in the four-game series. The home run snapped Carlyle's streak of 13 consecutive scoreless innings. Javier Baez's mammoth ninth-inning home run against Jenrry Mejia in the ninth gave the Cubs a cushion.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning against Cubs' starter Kyle Hendricks on Lucas Duda's 22nd home run of the season. But the Cubs tied the game in the sixth against Dana Eveland on Luis Valbuena's single, which scored Rizzo.

The Mets used four different pitchers to fill in for Colon.

Collins said he was unsure how long Colon would be away from the team. The Mets have the option of putting him on bereavement leave, which would allow them to fill the roster spot for 72 hours.

One option for the Mets would be to activate Daisuke Matsuzaka from the disabled list. Matsuzaka, who has been on the disabled list since July 26 with right elbow inflammation, is scheduled to make a rehabilitation start for the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones later this week. Matsuzaka was in the Mets' clubhouse prior to the game but was unavailable to pitch because he had thrown 69 pitches in a rehabilitation start on Saturday for Class AA Binghamton.

INSIDE PITCH

David Wright, who missed Sunday's game after having been plunked in the left shoulder in Saturday's game, was back in the lineup on Monday. He was 0-for-4...Reliever Vic Black entered the game in the eighth with two men on base and recorded the final two outs of the inning. Black was now stranded the last 22 consecutive runners he has inherited. He has stranded 24 of the 25 runners he's inherited this season.

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