Jerry Manuel says Luis Castillo can turn around the fans’ ire against him, insists the beleaguered second baseman can turn all those Shea Stadium boos to cheers with a hot streak at the plate or a couple gems in the field.
Perhaps he doesn’t truly know the Flushing Faithful, because they were at their bitter worst in the Mets’ 7-4 collapse against the Braves. The 56,041 on hand saved their most virulent bile for Castillo, who went hitless yet again and may be forced to play due to Damion Easley’s quad injury.
“Yeah, you hear it, but that’s the way it is,” said Castillo, 1-for-5 yesterday. “If you have a good year, they don’t do it. I just have to keep going, do the best I can.
“I don’t want to think about it,” he said. “I want to concentrate in the field. Nobody wants to hear boos from the fans, but that’s how it is. That’s here; that’s New York. You have to let it go. You have to do your job.”
Castillo, 33, was lavished with a four-year, $25 million deal this offseason despite knee surgery. His slide reached 0-for-19 yesterday, but Easley’s injury may force Manuel to play him even more.
Castillo had played seven games between his Aug. 25 return from a hip flexor and a sad 0-for-3, three-strikeout game against the Phillies on Sept. 5. He didn’t play again until pinch-hitting in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, and then starting the nightcap and yesterday’s loss.
“He’s just a couple hits away from winning them back,” Manuel said. “That’s all you’ve got to do to win the crowd back – get a big hit, make a great play. They want you to do well. He’s a good enough player that he can turn that around, and given the opportunity, I think he will.”