New York Mets: David Wright's Pinky Finger Breaks from Weight of Carrying Lineup

OK, maybe that headline is overselling the point just a bit.

But as we mentioned in explaining the New York Mets' 4-0 start to the season, David Wright was essentially carrying the lineup, batting .583/.647/.833 with one home run and a team-leading four RBI.

Without Wright, the Mets have virtually no offense. Especially with run producers like Jason Bay and Ike Davis not producing runs. 

So is it any wonder that some part of Wright's body broke down, carrying the weight of his team in his hands?

All right, so Wright broke his pinky finger. And he suffered the injury diving back to first base in Monday night's game, as ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo explains.

But when the Mets weren't scoring many runs to begin with, losing their best hitter showed just how precarious their early success was.

Is it any coincidence that the Mets have lost two games since Wright's broken finger took him out of the lineup? In those two losses, the team scored a total of two runs.

Ronny Cedeno actually did a nice job of filling in for Wright Tuesday night, batting 3-for-4 and driving in a run. But on Wednesday afternoon, he went 0-for-3.

To be fair to Cedeno, none of his fellow batters had an answer for the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday. Strasburg looked like the ace he's expected to be, pitching six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and racking up eight strikeouts. 

Johan Santana pitched well for the second straight start, which has to be encouraging for the Mets. He allowed one run and five hits while striking out eight batters in five innings of work. But with no run support, the effort resulted in a frustrating loss. 

Santana's record after two starts sums up the Mets' offensive struggles. He's 0-1 despite compiling a 0.90 ERA. 

So what can the Mets do in Wright's absence? Do they keep starting Cedeno at third base? Or do they perhaps try something else to get a little offense in the lineup, like moving Daniel Murphy over to third and playing Justin Turner at second base? Hey, it's not much, but it's something. 

Fortunately, manager Terry Collins might not have to agonize over such decisions for very long. After Wednesday's loss, he told reporters that Wright was expected to return for Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. With an off-day in between, that gives Wright three days to rest that finger and let team trainers work on it. 

But expecting him to return so soon might be a tad optimistic. If so, the Mets are going to need better than the combined 0-for-7 from Murphy and Lucas Duda in the lineup's No. 3 spot while their third baseman is out.