NEW YORK -- The New York Mets' coaching staff will remain intact when the team opens a homestand Tuesday evening against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The decision to leave the staff untouched came during organizational discussions via conference call on Monday, two sources told ESPNNewYork.com.
General manager Omar Minaya fueled speculation about the danger of coaches -- particularly hitting coach Howard Johnson -- losing their jobs by failing to guarantee on Sunday that the staff would be the same when the Mets regrouped in New York after a 2-9 road trip to open the second half of the season.
The Mets have not scored in their past 16 innings. They also had 24- and 17-inning scoreless droughts during the West Coast swing, and were shut out four times -- one shy of the franchise record for getting blanked on a single road trip. It happened five times in May 1964.
The Mets averaged 2.1 runs per game on the trip, and hit .196 as a team.
Also on Monday, the Mets announced that catcher Rod Barajas was being placed on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. Slugger Mike Hessman, the active leader in career minor league home runs, will be promoted, a team official said.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who was removed from Sunday's start after stumbling on a pitch to Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin and feeling a strain in his backside/hip region, was examined Monday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. He reported no difficulty and is expected to make his next start on Saturday as scheduled.
Adam Rubin covers the Mets for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.