Ailing back likely to sideline Rice until Friday

MIAMI -- Add Scott Rice to the growing list of Mets relievers nursing minor ailments.

Rice was unavailable Tuesday and Wednesday with "a little bit of a back issue," according to Terry Collins. The left-hander had pitched in three consecutive contests starting Saturday, taking the loss in Monday's 4-3 loss at Marlins Park. That broke a string of nine consecutive scoreless outings for Rice, who holds a 6.14 ERA on the season.

Collins said he was confident Rice would be ready to go when the Mets return home on Friday to face the Phillies.

"With [Thursday] being [an off-day], it gives him an extra day to quiet that down a little bit," Collins said.

The Mets had also been avoiding right-hander Carlos Torres, who was nursing a similar back issue earlier this week. Torres, the Mets' primary eighth-inning setup man, returned in the eighth inning Wednesday, ultimately taking the loss.