PHOENIX — Daniel Murphy hit a chopper toward shortstop and sprinted out of the box, his legs churning, his jersey flapping. It was a routine baseball play, the kind that happen every day, the kind a youth coach might show his team as an example of how even All-Stars hustle. But Murphy eased up as he neared first base.
The Mets had already lost David Wright, at least initially, when he pulled his hamstring stealing second. They had lost Travis d’Arnaud when, by chance, a pitch happened to strike his wrist. This was how they could now possibly lose Murphy.