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Major league whoops: Mets bat out of order in first inning

Call it a case of the Mondays...on a Wednesday...for the Mets.
Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway stands in the dugout against the New York Mets in the sixth inning at Great American Ball Park.

The New York Mets' downward spiral continued with a Little League blunder Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati when they batted out of order in the first inning against the Reds.

The lineup handed to the umpires had Asdrubal Cabrera hitting second and Wilmer Flores batting third. The team's intended lineup, though, had Flores hitting second and Cabrera batting third. That lineup was even on the scoreboard.

Flores struck out and Cabrera doubled to left, but Cabrera did not get to enjoy his hit for long as Reds manager Jim Riggleman showed home plate umpire Gabe Morales the lineup card that featured Flores hitting in front of Cabrera.

Jay Bruce was then ruled out on a putout to the catcher.

Baseball rules place the onus on the opposing manager, not the umpires, to point out lineup discrepancies. It's in the best interest of the team in the field to wait until the opposing club has gained an advantage from the illegal lineup to point out the error.

Thus, Riggleman wisely waited for a positive event - Cabrera's double, in this case - to play that card.

After racing out to a 12-2 start, the Mets have lost 14 of their last 20 games, a stretch that included the eventual trade of Matt Harvey to the Reds.

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