ATLANTA — Whenever both James McCann and Tomas Nido have been healthy this season, the duo has split catching duties for the Mets.
With less than a week left in the season, it is possible Nido’s bat is buying his way out of the timeshare.
Nido was in the starting lineup for the third straight game Saturday and for the sixth time in the past eight contests, going 0-for-3 and catching Max Scherzer in a 4-2 loss to the Braves.
For the first two games of the Mets’ biggest series of the season, manager Buck Showalter opted for Nido over McCann, who entered the season as the ostensible starter. Nido provided half of the Mets’ offense in a loss Friday night, when the No. 9 hitter blasted his third home run of September (and of the season) in the eighth inning.
“I don’t know about separate,” the Mets manager said Saturday when asked if Nido has separated himself from his competition. “Just thought Tomas is a good matchup for us [Saturday].
“He’s swinging a hot bat, and we’re going to take advantage of it with five games left to play.”
Showalter has said he is comfortable with both catchers, but would be open to one receiving the lion’s share if his production dictated it. After five quiet months, Nido’s production has soared.
The 28-year-old posted a .947 OPS in September, which was the third-best in the majors among catchers. McCann’s .568 OPS was 28th.
In 15 games last month, Nido lifted his average from .222 to .243. He entered September with 10 extra-base hits, then swatted eight in the month — five doubles to go with those three home runs — in making a push to be the everyday backstop.
“He’s finishing strong. He’s had some good collisions,” said Showalter, who has not seen those collisions from his other primary catcher.
Aiding Nido’s case is the fact McCann’s case has grown weaker. McCann finished September 1-for-20 in eight games, dropping his average to .190. Each time the veteran appears to have turned a corner this season, either an injury or a funk has followed.
There is a wild card in Francisco Alvarez, the top prospect who debuted as a designated hitter Friday and went 0-for-4. There do not appear to be any imminent plans to get him game work behind the plate, though the Mets had Alvarez catch a bullpen session in Atlanta on Saturday. Alvarez, who was 0-for-2 on Saturday, may be the future, but Nido is making a case to be the present.