After not running hard to first base in the seventh inning Friday night during an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play, Robinson Cano was not benched Saturday for the transgression.

And before Saturday's game, Mets manger Mickey Callaway simply said that he doesn't bench players to send a message.

"We talked about it and he understands that can't happen again," Callaway explained. You don't just reprimand people to send a message to the rest of the team."

Speaking after Callaway, Cano told reporters that he would have run his "ass off" Friday night if he had known there was one out instead of two.

"I've run hard all year," Cano added.

Not knowing how many outs there were during the double play on Friday night was something Cano blamed on the scoreboard at Marlins Park, with Callaway saying after the game that there were other instances Friday night where the scoreboard had the incorrect number of outs.

SNY contributor John Harper argued before Saturday's lineup was out that Callaway benching Cano would have been a way for the manager to make a statement that he demands better from one of his "so-called leaders."

Callaway, whose job status was addressed by GM Brodie Van Wagenen prior to Friday's loss, made no such statement.

Throughout his career, Cano's at-times lax style has drawn ire -- including from Yankees fans during his tenure in the Bronx.

And while the truth is that most players don't run all-out on every apparent routine ground out, Cano not knowing how many outs there were on Friday night as the Mets were getting shellacked was inexcusable. As was the fact that he refused to speak with reporters about it after the game.

Lack of hustle looks worse when teams are losing -- especially when those losses are coming to horrific teams during a potentially season-defining stretch of games.

Callaway not benching Cano for one obvious transgression isn't surprising, but it will be interesting to see how he responds if something like this happens again -- with Cano or one of his other players.

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