Mets closer Frank Francisco was not available Sunday and will be shut down for the next few days with a sore elbow, according to Terry Collins. The closer last pitched on Sept. 16 and both Collins and Francisco said they are not sure if this setback will cost Francisco the final 10 games of the season.

Francisco said he would push himself if he had to, but he doesn't want to overdo it. "I just hope the inflammation goes down as soon as possible so I can join the team again," Francisco said.

He said he's not worried about his timetable.

"It is what it is," said Francisco, who is 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA and 23 saves. "I'm not thinking about pitching, I'm thinking about getting better. That's the only way I can pitch."

"We had him checked by the doctors, structurally it's fine but they think it might be tendinitis and we know there's no way to determine," Collins said before the Mets faced Miami. "Medicate and rest it."

Jon Rauch has pitched the ninth inning in each of the last two games, notching the save in Saturday's 4-3 victory. He's 3-7 with a 2.96 ERA and has four saves.