Some days he's confident about the pitches he was throwing, other days he complains that his pitches were missing and he doesn't know what's wrong. It must be disheartening for a pitcher to go out there and hit all your spots one day and miss them all the next.
Mets officials are also starting to take note.
According to Steve Popper, Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel met for 10 minutes after Maine's five run drubbing on Saturday.
Popper quoted Manuel as saying: "I though the ball was coming out of his hand better than at any time this spring," he said. "His command just needs to be a little better."
Maine, on the other hand, had this to say: "I"m trying to keep things in perspective," he said. "I'm working on things right now. Even though the numbers weren't there, it seems two or three pitches could've made a difference. Ball are dropping in."
You can count me in the growing group of fans that are worried about John Maine. He's the No. 4 starter, but he just can't seem to find his groove after the surgery. Maine has a very bright future in front of him if he can stay healthy and re-find his pitches.
Update - 10:21 p.m.: Here's an update from camp, via David Lennon:
Maine threw roughly 50 pitches in the bullpen under Warthen's supervision and both were pleased with the session. He added about another eight inches to his stride, changed the grip on his slider and overall simplified his delivery. Warthen believes that Maine had been "babying" his arm and shoulder since the surgery. Now, with the longer stride, he should have more velocity on his pitches and better command.
"That's still a golden arm," Warthen said.