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| NEW YORK -- Manager Willie Randolph acknowledges the chance, and general manager Omar Minaya gushes. And the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn in the continuing saga of Carlos Gomez is that the chance of his being in the Mets' postseason roster is quite good. Why else does a club promote a player of such skill from its Triple-A affiliate when one victory would catapult that team into the final round of its league's championship? The Mets did that on Friday. Randolph loves Gomez's speed and defensive acumen and knows outfield defense is critical in October. Randolph recalls the May 13 alignment of, from left to right, Endy Chavez, Carlos Beltran and Gomez and how it covered Shea Stadium's substantial outfield acreage as Woodward and Bernstein covered Watergate, how the three cleverly moved the foul lines closer together and the warning track closer to the plate in a game against the Brewers. Not that the Mets have intentions of starting Gomez come October. But late-inning leads appear more formidable with three-quarters of 4x100 relay team in the outfield. And with the need for a 12-pitcher staff reduced in a best-of-five series, room on the roster is less of an issue. A three-Carlos postseason roster is a distinct possibility, so long as Carlos Delgado recovers from the right hip flexor injury that currently has him relegated to spectator status. Incidentally, with Gomez added to the Mets' roster on Friday night, the New Orleans Zephyrs lost, 6-5, in 10 innings to the Nashville Sounds. They still lead the best-of-five series, two victories to one. The fourth game is Saturday at 6 p.m. ET in Nashville. Kevin Mulvey starts for the Zephyrs. |