ST. LOUIS — Brandon Nimmo tied a Mets record with nine RBIs in a game last week, and then he got sick.
If there was a true resumption from where he left off in Washington on Monday, it occurred Friday night when he reached base five times for the Mets.
Included were three hits and a homer as he raised his OPS to .720.
As recently as last Sunday, he was slumping and owned a .575 OPS.
“Just start small again,” Nimmo said after his Friday outburst and before the Mets’ game against the Cardinals was rained out. “Don’t try to recreate a nine-RBI day. Don’t try to recreate a grand slam or anything like that. Just try to get some base hits and work from there.”
Nimmo battled flu-like symptoms during the Mets’ three-game series against Arizona and went 0-for-5 over two games, only one of which he started.
He credited a 12-hour night of sleep before Friday’s game as helping to get him right.
“I’m trying to get back to healthy and being able to help out and play every day again and get that rhythm,” Nimmo said. “It was unfortunate to have the fever hit when it hit, but you can’t control these things.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza is looking to find work for Edwin Díaz, who hasn’t pitched in over a week.
The right-hander’s last appearance was in Washington on April 26 when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save.
Mendoza declined to use Díaz in a save situation a day later because of usage concerns.
The Mets followed with five straight games in which a save situation didn’t emerge.
In two of those games, against the Diamondbacks, the Mets trailed in the late innings.
“Those are the tricky ones,” Mendoza said. “You try to stay away from him when you’re chasing, especially this early.”
Paul Blackburn threw 41 pitches over three innings in his Friday rehab appearance for Single-A Brooklyn.
Mendoza said the goal is to extend the right-hander to about 75 pitches before he’s considered for a return to the club.
Blackburn is rehabbing from right knee inflammation.
The Mets have allowed 16 homers, the fifth fewest in franchise history through 33 games.
Over the last 31 seasons, only the 1997 Braves (10), 1997 Marlins (14), 2015 Nationals (15) and 2012 Nationals (15) allowed fewer homers over the season’s first 33 games.
