Perez Gets Lucky

If you read this blog on a regular you may have noticed that we like Oliver Perez here. It is partially because of the amount of times I've seen him pitch in person. The first time ever was back in 2004 when he burst onto the scene with the Pirates. It was an April game and he struck out 8 6 Mets on a Saturday. I remember being really taken back by the kid.

Fast forward to an April game in 2007. It was opening night against Philadelphia. He let up 3 ER through 2 2/3, walked 6, and hit Rod Barajas for good measure. I knew I was in for a long season that night. For some odd reason the last 3 years, and this was complete coincidence, I always wound up seeing the same starter for the majority of my Shea games. 2007 was the year of Ollie (last year was Pelfrey, '06 was Glavine). I'd seen horrid performances like that one against Philly that year, and beauties like his 7K performance against Atlanta later in September.

When he succeeds, he's the family member I'm most proud of. When he loses it, he's the little brother I want to give a noogie to. Last night if he came home to the dinner table after that performance, I wouldn't have been laudatory by any means, but I wouldn't have dished out a headache either. I would have told him "you're better than that."

Dr. Dan seems to think Oliver is back to peak form. Regarding Perez's mechanics, Warthen told reporters last night was "a very positive outing for Oliver. He's back to where he was last year. He's got his legs back under him. So I'm pleased with the work he's done the last week." I'll give him the mechanics. They were markedly improved over where they were his last start. Also important was when he went out of whack, you could see him talking to himself on the mound and motioning what he needed to do on the next pitch. But I'm not ready to say he's back to where he was last year.

The confidence didn't seem there. Determination yes, but confidence no. He pitched to an Orioles team that really couldn't seem to wait to leave. He got lucky on a hanging slider that was crushed over the burm just foul. His velocity touched 92 - 93 range a few times but stayed around 89. Keith last night said "I just don't think he's ready." I can't help but agree. The final line looked good - 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3K, but the overall performance wasn't there. Hey Ollie, you're better than that.

Ticket Plan Arrival

My 15 game pack finally arrived in the mail today. Along with the ticket book, it came with a bizarre cardboard model of Citi Field and the 2009 Mets Media Guide. To top it off, they sent tickets to a batting practice session for this Sunday to preview the field. After spending a solid amount of time being bitter at ticket prices (if I were to sit in my equivalent Mezz seats I would have had to spend 320% more than the previous year), I must say they've done their best to try and make me feel better about it.

Open For Business

Mike Pelfrey tossed 1/3 of an inning yesterday before a rain delay put an end to his outing. That wasn't the big news in Met land though. As a matter of fact, the real news had less to do with the actual Mets yesterday and more about Big East rivals Georgetown and St. Johns. The story was about the opening of the team's new home, Citi Field.

I was not there personally. As much as I would have liked to go I'm going to be there soon enough on opening day, and I want my first experience at the park to be a Mets one (and not a Hoyas one). From the pictures and reviews that have been floating around there is a lot to be said of the new stadium. One thing that I've noticed is the insane amount of available advertising space left. Whole panels are just left blank affixed to scoreboards and daimondvision 2.0. How much could that space be going for? Two reviews of note with photos that are quite good are over at Faith and Fear and Metsgrrl.com.

In other news The Battle of the Mets Blogs FBL league drafted this past Friday night. I could not be more displeased with the team that was drafted. Here it is:

C- Ryan Doumit
1B- Ryan Howard
2B- Ian Kinsler
3B- Jorge Cantu
SS- Michael Young
IF- Adam Dunn
LF- Johnny Damon
CF- Torii Hunter
RF- Bobby Abreau
OF- Shin-Soo Chu
UTIL- Ryan Theriot
BN- Aaron Rowand
BN- Casey Blake
BN- Fernando Tatis
SP- Cole Hamels
SP- Jair Jurgens
SP- Oliver Perez
SP- Jordan Zimmerman
RP- Francisco Rodriguez
RP- Kevin Gregg
P- Paul Maholm
P- Chris Volstadt
BN- Huston Street
BN- Ervin Santana

Photo by Howard Simmons NY Daily News

Dan Does it Again

"We're seeing progress and I think that's key for us," is what Jerry Manuel told reporters in response to questions about his young right-hander. If you're judging from the stat line, I suppose you can say that. Through 5.0 yesterday, John Maine fanned 5, walked 3, let up one ER (3 runs total courtesy of his own wild pitches), and gave up 6 hits. That doesn't look pretty, but it is what Manuel said it is - progress.

Maine has been struggling mightily this spring as he came back from off-season surgery on his shoulder. This past Monday, an off day for the rest of the team, Maine was back in camp working with Dan Warthen on lengthening his stride and making some grip changes. After yesterday's start, Maine said the changes still seemed a bit unnatural to him but that overall he felt good.

While some are quick to jump to the other side of the S.S. Maine (© Brooklyn Met Fan) and say he's back, the right-hander isn't quite there yet. If he can keep working on these tweaks Warthen has made for him, they'll eventually become more fluid. Maine should keep improving and ultimately be back to his old self in no time.

This should be noted - Dan Warthen works. His methods not only get results, they get instant results. We saw it in Ollie and Pelf last season, we're seeing it with Maine now. Someone bring this guy the next stimulus plan. I'm convinced he might even be able to fix the economy.

Battle of the Mets Blogs Fantasy Baseball League drafts tonight at 8:00pm.

Oh P.

I don't want to repeat myself, but...

Thanks Chief

It was only a matter of time. Freddy Garcia and his 16.71 ERA in Grapefruit League play is headed to the minors. It was assumed by many that Garcia and the Mets had some sort of gentleman's agreement when he signed his contract that he would be allowed to walk should he not make the team. Thankfully Freddy is smart enough to realize he needs the work. "We're glad he decided to stay with us and continue to try to get back to the major leagues," said assistant GM John Ricco.

By accepting his assignment, he can either be moved to play with Triple-A Buffalo or stay in extended spring training. I think it may be wise to keep him in extended spring, as he appeared to be getting his velocity up in his last outing. Let him stay in the warm weather and get the attention he needs. Then move him up to Buffalo for a few starts and see how it goes.

I thought Garcia was going to get pink slipped last week altogether. Apparently the organization truly believes in Garcia and thinks he can get back to form. My difficulty with the logic is, they basically factored Freddy's possible $8.5 million into payroll assuming he would reach all of his incentives. He is not reaching all those now - no way. I don't know the details of his original contract, but it was in my opinion that the team would cut him and offer Pedro Martinez that same deal. Maybe they already did offer Martinez a similar deal and he turned it down so now they have to put their stock in Garcia. Regardless I can't help but question what makes Omar and Co. think the Chief is going to come back.

Battle of the Mets Blogs Fantasy Baseball League

It was a slow day in Met land yesterday due to the off day, so only a few players were at camp. John Maine dropped a scheduled golf outing to work with Dan Warthen on his delivery stride while Livan Hernandez stretched his arm out to 85 pitches against minor leaguers (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 7 K). The Chief gave up 3 ER on 8 hits through four innings and apparently his velocity is up to the 88-89 range. Seems like too little too late though.

So I feel now is a better time than any to announce the first ever Battle of the Mets Blogs Fantasy Baseball League. Each week will pin your favorite blogger against another in a head-to-head match-up for Mets blogosphere bragging rights. We have a ton of great participants including yours truly, Amazin' Avenue, Brooklyn Met Fan, Daily Stache, Eddie Kranepool Society, Hot Foot, Mets Lifer, Mets Merized, Metstradamus, The 'Ropolitans, 213 Miles from Shea, and the better half of We're The Team to Beat. The format is basically standard head-to-head with a few tweaks. 25 man rosters include: 1 of each IF position, 1 IF floater, 1 of each individual OF position, 1 OF floater, 1 UTL, 4 SP, 2 P, 2 RP, 5 Bench, and 1 DL spot. There are 12 stat categories each week including R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, OPS, W, SV, K, ERA, WHIP, QS. 8 teams will make the playoffs which will happen in weeks 23, 24, and 25 of the regular season.

I want to thank all the bloggers for participating. I haven't been at this too often and I'm glad they all enjoyed the idea. I love reading what these guys have to say on a daily basis and it should be a ton of fun playing against them - a league of all Mets homers! We draft this Friday at 8:00pm and I'll be sure to update everyone's rosters come the weekend.

Homecoming

And then there were none. Team USA fell to Japan last night due to poor pitching and poorer defense. That means David Wright (1 - 5, 1 RBI last night) and JJ Putz (DNP) are on their way back to camp completing the Mets roster for the remainder of Grapefruit League play. I'm sure David is going to hear it from everyone about his canoodling with Jimmy Rollins over the course of the tournament. Glad everyone is back though and more importantly without serious injury.

That's not all folks. There is no more need to worry about MRI's or ruptured triceps tendons. In case you missed it, Johan Santana is officially on point. In 5 innings yesterday, Johan struck out 7 and allowed only 2 hits, one of which was a solo shot to left off the bat of Matt Diaz. He hit 93 on the gun a few times and located all his pitches extremely well through the first 4 frames. They stretched him out to 75 pitches and he seemed tired during the last 8 - 12 leaving the ball up a few times while topping out at 89 on the fastball.

The most important part of the outing is that he feels good and he got stretched out. To my understanding this means he will get 2 more starts, one against Washington on the 27th and the other against St. Louis on April Fools Day. If all goes well our ace will be stretched out and ready to go by Opening Day. Lets hope the rest of the rotation can get sorted out now.

With our roster now intact and the lineup starting to take shape things are really coming together. This all before our poster boy has even takes the field. Anybody with thoughts on Murphy hitting in the 2 spot? I don't like Castillo 8th, but I do like Murphy 2nd. Where do you think the order is headed?

The Kids Are Alright

This post was originally slated to be based solely on the Irish Hammer himself on St. Patrick's Day. However his Binghamton counterpart from last season can't be ignored right now. Nick Evans is tearing up the Grapefruit League in his quest to win a spot on the bench for the 2009 season.

You all know the phrase by now (kudos Cerrone) - the kid means business. So much so that I've personally taken to calling him "The Business Man" of late. Daniel Murphy's legend keeps growing these days. Just yesterday John Heyman placed him ahead of expected ROY candidates Cameron Maybin and Matt Wieters in his prospect buzz article. His spring training numbers are deserving of such praise. In 48ABs, Murphy is hitting .375 with 24 total bases and a .458 OBP. The only thing that has been lacking from him so far would be the power numbers as he is yet to hit a home run this Spring (though he plays as far more of a doubles hitter anyway).

You know what the most exciting part about Murphy is though (besides watching him at the plate of course)? He is playing as he's projected to. Bill James projects a nice 2009 season for Murphy - in 139 games and 456 ABs, he should hit .294 with 33 doubles and 14 home runs. CHONE projections are similar though not as high (441AB, .270, 26 2B, 10 HR). Regardless based on what we've seen from him so far in his short career, we should no longer be worried about over hype. The Business Man has arrived.

Now you Mr. Evans. What a spring you've put up. He has more Grapefruit ABs than anyone else on the team with 52. In that time he's hitting .307 with an OBP of .423. He's hit 5 doubles, 3 home runs, and driven in 12. More so than anyone else, Evans is proving to be the right handed power threat off the bench the Mets need. Hell if he could hit a breaking ball off of right handers and flash some better leather in the field he would be a lock for the team. The glove work is where Evans makes Heyman's article: Nick Evans will likely be sent out for seasoning, but one scout said, 'He's swung the bat better than I expected.' Evans has raw power but needs work as a defender.

It is in the opinion of some (present party included) that Evan's will make the team out of Spring and follow them until they need a 5th starter added to the roster. This is appearing more and more to be the case with each swing of his bat. After that, some more consistent playing time in Buffalo will allow him to work on the defense and patience against right handers. But we should all be on the lookout for him come September call up time. Evans has the potential to be a beast.

Mets Domination in WBC

The Mets dominated tonight's pool 2 WBC match-up in Miami. Carlos Delgado smacked a bomb of a home run to dead center off of Ted Lilly in the fourth. Carlos Beltran, whose numbers and jovial temperament have caught eyes this tournament, made an over the wall grab off a shot by Brian McCann in the 3rd. Nelson Figueroa threw 2 1/3 no hit innings for Puerto Rico. JJ Putz tossed a perfect 8th inning with 2 strikeouts.

But David Wright. Mr. "non-clutch," according to multiple New York op-eds this off-season, led team USA into Los Angeles tonight. With the bases jacked and the US down by 1 run in the ninth, David hit an inside pitch to the opposite field for 2 runs, completing a game that saw him go 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's. He also scored an early run in the game diving into home.

I understand the discrepancies with the WBC, and will fully admit to getting nervous a few times tonight. I would however like to see someone watch video from tonight's game and tell me it wasn't exciting baseball. More importantly, watch the game and tell me it didn't make them excited about the 2009 New York Metropolitans.

Dr. Warthen, paging Dr. Warthen - Mr. Perez is here to see you

Last night team Mexico was eliminated from the WBC by Cuba which means Oliver Perez is on his way back to camp. The World Baseball Classic was unkind to Ollie, who in two starts went 6 2/3 total innings letting up 7ER on 13 hits, 5 of those being home runs. It's time for Dan Warthen to start working his magic when Ollie gets to St. Lucie around Wednesday.

Under the tutelage of pitching coach Dan Warthen, Ollie made serious strides last year. In 20 starts working with Warthen, Oliver went 5 - 3 with an ERA of 3.77. He tossed 121.2 innings, striking out 117 while keeping his walks down with only 57 (he had 48 in his prior 14 starts). These numbers, along with the organization's belief in his raw talent, landed Oliver a 3 year $36 million contract this off season.

After watching Oliver pitch during the Classic, I think it's good he gets back to work with Warthen. His fastball looked okay but was consistently up, and he couldn't throw his slider for strikes. I understand it's spring training to an extent but he just looked average out there. Not bad or inconsistent, but not himself either. He did however look very sharp in his first spring start before shipping off to the Mexican team, going 2 shutout innings against the Marlins and striking out 3. Things seemingly click with him and Warthen. I'm not by any means ready to hit the panic button strictly based off of WBC numbers, I am however happy to have him back in camp.

Redding On The Shelf

Fool me once Omar, shame on me...














...fool me twice, shame on you. Tim Redding is going to begin the season on the DL with shoulder fatigue. Redding is the only competitor for the 5th spot in the rotation with a garunteed contract. In 2 1/3 innings this spring he has allowed 14 earned runs - some of those against the University of Michigan mind you. In 2 innings against the Marlins Thursday, Redding looked miserable on the mound with his fastball topping out in the mid 80's and his location all over the place.

In more positive news today, despite the loss to the Nationals Mike Pelfrey pitched remarkably well. He went 4 shutout innings while only allowing 2 hits and 1 walk. It was Big Pelf's first start since his lower leg strain. Livan Hernandez also pitched effectively in relief as he tossed 2 no hit innings. He is clearly the favorite at this point to take on the 5th starter role.

"I can't wait for the e-mails and phone calls about Pedro Martinez."

First things first, a happy birthday to Mr. Santana. Johan's 30th birthday comes on the heels of his first Grapefruit League start. He threw 47 pitches going 2 2/3 with two strikeouts, a hit batsman, and a monster shot let up to Dan Uggla. He used all of his pitches hitting 91 on the radar gun once with his fastball, but really stayed in the 87-88 mph range all night. His location looked good and that was the most important thing for me. Let's see how he feels today.

Tim Redding - boy was that painful to watch. The only good thing that he can get out of that mess and "hang his hat on" as Ron kept saying is that his ERA dropped to 40.50 for the spring. Yes that's right, dropped to that. His fastballs were topping out at 86. When he could muster to get it to that speed it was going up and outside to lefties and getting served up on a platter to righties. He seems to have no command of either his pitches or his location out there. When asked about the outing by reporters, Redding said - "I can't wait for the e-mails and phone calls about Pedro Martinez." That might actually be an understatement.

Boy I really didn't think I'd be saying it but I might go there. No I won't. Livan Hernandez will be an adequate 5th starter if Redding should falter. I'm sure it won't be him all season either. Perhaps Redding and Garcia go through extended springs and come up to rotate in and out. Maybe Niese comes up after the break to throw a few games. There is never really any certainty to the 5th spot in the rotation, and it's often a smorgasbord of guys. Frankly I'm okay with that. As much as I love Pedro and what he did for the organization, I have my closure and it really is time to move on from the last two years of "if I'm healthy."

Johan on the Mound Tonight

As Greg at Faith and Fear would say -
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the Metropolitans of New York, and to the baseball season for which they stand: one Team, under Jerry Manuel, noncollapsible, with Johan and K-Rod for all.

Please be seated. I start with the pledge of Mets allegiance as today is a big day. Johan Santana will make his first spring training start at 7:10pm against the Marlins. He is expected to toss around 45 pitches. It will air for all of us on SNY, and we are all required to watch. This might be the most excited I've been all of spring.

WBC Photo Album

I know it's a couple of days late, but better late than never. There were a few images that were lost due to the corrupted card, and a lot that just were not that good. Click here for a slide show from the USA v.s. Canada game. Back to Mets baseball I swear.

USA 6, Canada 5

Wow what a game. The dome was absolutely electric in the top of the 9th. Thankfully Mets new set-up man JJ Putz was able to settle down after letting up a run and shut the door on team Canada. His fastball was hitting 95 on the stadium gun.

I did not expect to see the stadium so packed for the Pool C's first round. It almost felt like a playoff game. That was only today's first match too. Venezuelan fans were entering the stadium as we were leaving - that's 3 hours before their game mind you. They were cheering during their country's stretches. I must say after experiencing the WBC first hand, I support it and am excited to see more...that is until a Met gets hurt.

A few things of note:

• When Adam Dunn hits a home run, he really hits it. His shot in the 6th was a line drive laser to the opposite field, and off a good pitch at that. There was no question on whether it was going to go or not. That sliding catch he made was also amazing. To top it off, he looks like he has a lot of fun out there which is something he isn't known for in the media (which has gone so far as to say he hates playing the game).

• Canadians love Matt Stairs, but hate that he always hacks at the first pitch.

• Kevin Youklis is a monster - that unorthadox approach at the plate somehow works and is fun to watch in person.

• Jimmy Rollins didn't look great on the basepaths, and appeared to be stretching his back out a lot. I know there have been whispers of an injury. He did however do a nice job in the field. He and Wright were chumming it up after the last out and I threw up in my mouth a bit.
  

• Something looks wrong with David Wright's swing. The uppercut appears to be creeping back.

• Yankees fans hate and will heckle Mets fans, even in another country when you're rooting for the same team.

Thanks to everyone who followed along with today's liveblog from the game beforehand. I have a ton of nice high-res photos that I cannot post at the moment. The SD card was corrupted so I need to find a way to retrieve all of them. I should be able to post those come Monday.

Left of the Infield

Never thought I'd see this.
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Play Ball!

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Starting Lineups

Almost gametime. They're going through the starting lineups now.

When Jeter ran out he was booed mercilessly. Not fans of "the captain" here. Wright was cheered almost as much as Larry Walker.
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David Wright

That's him. You can tell by the really awesome picture my blackberry took (sarcasm).
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Woah

Canadian fans are taking this tournament with a lot of pride. The merch stores are packed. Team Canada still taking BP. I was just in the elevator with Donald Fehr. That was weird.

Here is a view from the top of the Rogers Centre. My seats are right at 3rd base. I'm going back now hopefully to catch the American team run around a bit before the game.
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Team Canada BP

Canada is on the field taking BP right now. I must say the Rogers Centre is a real cool place. I've never been inside a dome before. I like the temperature control.
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And That's Why You Start Jose Reyes

I'm catching some of the DR v.s. Netherlands game before heading over to the Rogers Centre. The Netherlands just put up a three spot in the first thanks to a Hanley Ramirez throwing error at short. He made a nice diving catch, but one of the more lackadaisical tosses I've ever seen. Not the first time I've seen that from Hanley either.

Not really too sure what Alou was thinking here. If you're going to DH Ortiz, why don't you play Hanley at first over Willy Aybar, a utility infielder? Jose Reyes is clearly the better defensive SS and probably makes that play right there. I guess if he isn't playing he can't get hurt, but I want to see him get some reps in and not sit on a bench.

We've Arrived

Got in a little later than expected but we're here in Toronto. Passed by the Rogers Centre on the way in an it looks amazing all lit up next to the CN Tower. Wish I got a photo, but I was driving so I couldn't get my phone out fast enough. I'll tweet one later.

It looks as though Jake Peavy will be on the hill for USA's game against team Canada. I'll be at the stadium tomorrow at noon so be on the lookout for some updates and photos. As for now I'm going to get some food in me.

Priced Out of the Citi: WBC Edition

Starting tomorrow, Priced Out of the Citi will be presenting you with a World Baseball Classic weekend special. I'll be heading north to Toronto for team USA's first game of the tournament to watch our Mets David Wright and JJ Putz help beat the Canadians.

I know there is tons and tons of skepticism about the WBC, and I'll be the first to admit that I share in it at times. A tournament like this creates opportunity for injury when not participating in team activity and it makes an already grueling season longer. Major League players should play for their organization as if it is their country, as Jerry Manuel wants the Mets too. However there are lots of people that do believe in it, and the players that participate love it. I figure the only way to really decide on it is to experience it first hand.

I'm going to try and bring that to you. I'll be live blogging from the stadium starting at noon on Saturday and providing images from before and after the game. Please bear with me as I'll be doing it from my blackberry, and it'll be my first time doing so. I'll provide a recap on the days events with a high res gallery come Sunday. Hopefully we can all learn a little more about this tournament. I know I'm already pretty excited to.

Easy Alex, He's Ours

Alex Rodriguez was "gushing" about Jose Reyes after the Dominican Republic's victory over the Florida Marlins yesterday according to The New York Times. Because of some heads up plays Reyes made on the basepaths, Rodriguez complimented the Mets shortstop (which of course he had a PR rep clean up so as not to insult "the captain"):

“I wish he was leading off on our team or playing on our team. That’s fun to watch.”

We know he is fun to watch. Hell everyone knows that Alex, he's arguably the most exciting player in baseball. Now go get that cyst on your hip checked out, and drop out of the WBC so Tejada can play 3rd and Reyes can play his natural position in the tournament.

Photo by Matt Cerrone of Metsblog.com

Johan and Opening Day

There has been much speculation of late regarding Johan Santana and his Opening Day availability. Well I am here to tell you that I have the inside scoop on the left-hander's status. Santana has already pitched the season opener against the Reds and he went the distance giving up 1 run on 3 hits with 8 strikeouts as the New York Mets went on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 17 - 1 at Great American Ballpark. Mike Pelfrey will take the mound for game 2 of the series in my living room tomorrow night.

I'm not a huge video game person, yet every year I always go out and buy the new 2K platform baseball game on it's release day. This year I bought MLB 2K9 for the Xbox 360 instead of the Wii, strictly for the graphics (I like "swinging" the bat). After messing around with the controls a bit in an exhibition (it was actually the first time I had really played a game on the platform as it's not my system), I went ahead and started my franchise. Guess what team I picked?

The graphics are far superior to those you will get on the Wii platform. The ballparks all look fantastic especially the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. The games manufacturer must have made it a point to improve upon that from years past. The new cut away shots are much better from the old stock preloaded ones you would see over and over and over. The only visual disconnect I can find involve some player close-ups. The game sims a "hand-cam" in a shallow depth of field for these shots, and it can get nauseating after some time.

The game play itself is a breeze, and that is where there is fault. It's almost too easy. For anyone who has had the sheer pleasure of playing Playstation's The Show series knows how realistic that game seems especially in the batters box. You are able to guess both the pitch type and location before the ball is thrown. Should you guess correctly you gain a leg up on the opposition, otherwise - advantage pitcher. 2K Sports should have taken some notes on that, because their "batters eye" doesn't even come close and it is too hitter friendly. A first time user should not be able to hit 3 HR's in a game with Daniel Murphy, let alone off of Aaron Harang and Arthur Rhodes.

I haven't tested the online features yet, though I'm sure I'll get there tonight. As for now I can tell you that it is a stellar looking game that's fun to play. However if you have a PS3, there is no question that you should skip this purchase, and grab MLB '09: The Show.

Lets Not Assume Anything

It's never safe to assume anything and we Met fans should know that better than anyone. Well the majority of us did it again this spring when we assumed Freddy Garcia would run away with the 5th spot in the starting rotation leaving Tim Redding to fill the long relief role. Two and two-thirds innings and a 20.25 ERA later - it may be safe to say we shouldn't assume that any longer.

Garcia got torn up by the Cardinals today over his two innings pitched in his second Grapefruit League appearance. He gave up a three-run bomb to Chris Duncan that hit off the Gateway Arch and another shot to Cardinals prospect Allen Craig. His fastballs were up and flat, topping out at 83 MPH. Garcia himself knows he's digging himself a hole:

"If I can't locate my fastball, I have no chance...four runs in two innings is bad. I've got to work in the bullpen and try to keep the ball down."

So where does this leave us for the 5th rotation spot? Well Tim Redding is still yet to throw in a game so he isn't there. John Niese and Livan Hernandez have both pitched a few innings, so they have that going for them. Neise's stuff looked good and Livan's stuff worked. I guess that's what we have for now. With Johan Santana looking more and more doubtful for opening day, the team may need to go with those two as the 4th and 5th starters the first time through the rotation in April if Garcia can't get his act together and Redding fails to get enough reps.

Photo by Howard Simmons of NY Daily News

Santana Staying in St. Lucie

Update: 2:55pm
According to Kevin Burkhardt of SNY, Johan Santana will not be heading back to New York for tests. Burkhardt told viewers during today's broadcast of the Mets and Astro's spring training game.

Apparently Johan felt so good after today's bullpen session, he canceled the trip. It's a good sign that he's feeling good, and enough so that he feels the exams are unnecessary. I am however questioning the judgement of management to allow him to make that decision himself. He won't be throwing tomorrow anyway, so why not send him to New York just to make sure nothing is ruptured?

Picture by Howard Simmons of NY Daily News


Original Post
Don't let anyone wearing a Mets hat into the Empire State Building, because odds are they're there to take a leap. Johan Santana is headed to New York for tests on his troublesome elbow. Adam Rubin of The Daily News is reporting that the pitcher will head to the city for a MRI and other examinations. GM Omar Minaya did not seem terribly worried about it saying it was strictly precautionary.

If there is anything positive to take from today, it's that the pitcher said he was feeling good after throwing a 35 pitch bullpen session this morning. Per a later report from Rubin:
"I felt fine," Santana said. "It's the first time in the last four days that I threw, but I feel good. ... As you throw more pitches, you feel better. That tells me we're making progress and getting loose."

Both Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen and Santana believe this may have been caused by working out too intensely in order to try and prepare to pitch in the WBC:
"Coming to spring training, my mindset was to participate in the WBC," Santana said. "Somehow you have to find a way to get ready. I think that's what it is - throwing too much too soon."

I'm glad they're finally sending him up for tests. Knowing the Mets though, I don't trust them to be completely truthful regarding the severity of the injury. I expect a full press conference explaining the injury in detail. If all the press gets are comments from Dr. David Altchek that isn't going to cut it. I want to see a full blown live press conference. I want the MRI results given at SNY studios by a team of the finest physicians, standing on a stage in front of the Citi / Mets banner. I want every Mets beat writer there to cover it. I want to know the course of action, and know the worst case scenario. I want Johan to speak and tell the fans what he expects from himself this season.

Maybe that's overkill, but I do think the fan base expects a serious and detailed explanation. If that isn't given it will only lead to more speculation on the severity of things by the media. If that happens you're going to have to talk a lot of Mets fans off the ledge.