The Mets take on the Marlins for the rubber game of the series, a 7:10 p.m. start.
Oliver Perez vs. Andrew Miller
Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Carlos Delgado
RF Ryan Church
LF Angel Pagan
C Brian Schneider
P Oliver Perez
Same lineup as last night. What I don't get is they switched Pagan and Church in the first game to break up the lefty / lefty in the order, but they're not doing it tonight against another left handed pitcher. Interesting.
4/2/08
Figgy on the road
Pedro Martinez must be heading to the DL, no matter what the results of his MRI are, because his replacement, Nelson Figueroa, is almost in Miami.
Figueroa who is heading over from New Orleans, should be with the team within the hour.
Alright, Mr. Figgy, here's your chance to shine. Figueroa hasn't pitched in the majors since he appeared in 10 games for the Pirates in 2004. He posted a 5.72 ERA in 28 1-3 of an inning, allowing 32 hits, walking 11 and striking out 10.
Pedro's MRI results are due out later today.
Figueroa who is heading over from New Orleans, should be with the team within the hour.
Alright, Mr. Figgy, here's your chance to shine. Figueroa hasn't pitched in the majors since he appeared in 10 games for the Pirates in 2004. He posted a 5.72 ERA in 28 1-3 of an inning, allowing 32 hits, walking 11 and striking out 10.
Pedro's MRI results are due out later today.
Here comes Figgy
According to Adam Rubin, "Nelson Figueroa is expected to replace Pedro Martinez on the roster."
We're all still waiting on Pedro's MRI results, but even if it's just a strain, a short stint on the DL is likely. The Mets could have Jorge Sosa fill in for a short period of time, but if someone is needed for more than a couple of games, Figueroa is the perfect fit.
I've been singing Figueroa's praises all spring training, so having him come up to the big team is good news even if it means Pedro is down for the count.
Maybe Figueroa can surprise a few people and if Mike Pelfrey struggles in his 5th starter spot, Figgy can fill in there if need be.
We're all still waiting on Pedro's MRI results, but even if it's just a strain, a short stint on the DL is likely. The Mets could have Jorge Sosa fill in for a short period of time, but if someone is needed for more than a couple of games, Figueroa is the perfect fit.
I've been singing Figueroa's praises all spring training, so having him come up to the big team is good news even if it means Pedro is down for the count.
Maybe Figueroa can surprise a few people and if Mike Pelfrey struggles in his 5th starter spot, Figgy can fill in there if need be.
El Duque to pitch in minor league game
Orlando Hernandez is slated to throw in a minor league game for the Mets class A St. Lucie team in it's opener on Thursday.
El Duque has been working out with the team in Miami since they arrived.
Hopefully, when April 13th rolls around and El Duque is eligible to come off the disabled list, he can come back to the Mets and preform, especially if Pedro Martinez is out for a significant amount of time. Hopefully.
El Duque has been working out with the team in Miami since they arrived.
Hopefully, when April 13th rolls around and El Duque is eligible to come off the disabled list, he can come back to the Mets and preform, especially if Pedro Martinez is out for a significant amount of time. Hopefully.
Robert Andino's rough night
Sure, he hit a walkoff home run to win the game for the Florida Marlins, but Robert Andino's night quickly changed when he received a text message from his wife.
Via Florida Marlins blog FishStripes:
Via Florida Marlins blog FishStripes:
Andino hastily dressed at his locker moments after his first career homer propelled the Marlins to a 5-4, 10-inning win over the Mets at Dolphin Stadium Tuesday. The revelry ended as soon as he saw the text messages from his wife, Renee.As much as it stings to have a walkoff hit against you, it all pales in comparison to real life situations like this. Hopefully all is well with Andino and his family.
A man knocked at the door of Andino's south Miami-Dade County home while Renee was on the phone. He repeatedly requested entry, but would not identify himself, saying only, "It's me." According to an early account of the episode that made its way back to Dolphin Stadium, the man ultimately tried to force his way in but left when police arrived.
The couple's two children, Taj (4) and Alijah (23 months), were presumed to be in the house as well.
Adding to Andino's anxiety is that he's from the same neighborhood as Sean Taylor, the former University of Miami and Washington Redskins safety who last year was killed after confronting would-be robbers in his home.
We got greedy
We all fell into the trap, and now we're paying for it.
Somehow, most Mets fans, me included, actually believed the hype. We heard all the talk about how Pedro Martinez is in the best shape of his life and how he feels ready to go. We all thought he was back to '99 Pedro, back to the glory days of injury-free domination.
We couldn't have been more wrong.
As you most likely know, Pedro was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning after his knee buckled as he delivered a pitch. He immediately grabbed his hamstring and began limping around the mound. The trainers and coaches surrounded him like hawks and his was quickly assisted off the field.
Pedro is heading back to New York, and will receive and MRI on his hamstring this morning. With any amount of luck, hopefully he only suffered a strained hamstring, which might keep him off the disable list.
Pedro told reporters that he heard a "pop" in his leg, which is not good. A pop almost always results in a tear. If he has a tear in his hamstring, Pedro will be on the shelf for a long while.
I guess this is the perfect case of karma. We all fell in love with Johan Santana and his amazingness, so it only works out that our #2 guy would have to go down with an injury in his first game of the season.
As Mets fans, did we really thing we would have an injury free year? I think we got greedy and this is a sobering moment very early in the season.
Somehow, most Mets fans, me included, actually believed the hype. We heard all the talk about how Pedro Martinez is in the best shape of his life and how he feels ready to go. We all thought he was back to '99 Pedro, back to the glory days of injury-free domination.
We couldn't have been more wrong.
As you most likely know, Pedro was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning after his knee buckled as he delivered a pitch. He immediately grabbed his hamstring and began limping around the mound. The trainers and coaches surrounded him like hawks and his was quickly assisted off the field.
Pedro is heading back to New York, and will receive and MRI on his hamstring this morning. With any amount of luck, hopefully he only suffered a strained hamstring, which might keep him off the disable list.
Pedro told reporters that he heard a "pop" in his leg, which is not good. A pop almost always results in a tear. If he has a tear in his hamstring, Pedro will be on the shelf for a long while.
I guess this is the perfect case of karma. We all fell in love with Johan Santana and his amazingness, so it only works out that our #2 guy would have to go down with an injury in his first game of the season.
As Mets fans, did we really thing we would have an injury free year? I think we got greedy and this is a sobering moment very early in the season.
4/1/08
Game Recap: Marlins 5 -- Mets 4
The Mets lost two key things tonight: Pedro Martinez to an injury and the game to Robert Andino and the Florida Marlins.
The Mets took the game to extras, but Andino connected off of Matt Wise for a walkoff home run to left field to end the game by a score of 5-4.
Pedro got rocked early, giving up a two-run home run in the first inning to Dan Uggla, and a solo shot to Luis Gonzalez and a RBI triple to Hanley Ramirez in the second inning. Pedro was in the fourth inning when his knee seemed to buckle during a pitch, and he apparently heard a "pop" in his leg. He quickly grabbed the back of his left leg and began limping around the mound. He was forced to leave the game and has been diagnosed with a strained left hamstring. He's heading back to New York for an MRI tomorrow. Martinez allowed four earned runs on four hits, walking one and striking out one before being forced out.
Well if that's not a sobering second game of the season, I don't know what is. This is the one of the quickest ways to take all the air out of the Mets balloon. Hopefully he can only miss a few starts, and bounce back into the rotation. We'll know more tomorrow. Still, the rotation is pretty nasty with Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, and John Maine. However long he is out, the Mets will miss him, but they are not in terrible condition.
Jorge Sosa came in as the long man, pitching 2 2-3 of an inning, allowing only three hits. Sosa walked two and struck out one. Scott Schoeneweis was used correctly, getting Cody Ross to pop up to left before being lifted for Joe Smith. Smith used his slider and got two ground outs to third base to complete a hitless inning.
Sosa was just excellent in long relief, and may be forced into a starting role very soon. I really like Sosa's versatility and ability. Schoeneweis is a situational pitcher, who can sometimes be stretched out, so this is the correct way to pitch him, I think. Smith seems to have his nasty slider back, and therefore has reclaimed his nickname of "The Man."
Aaron Heilman was stellar, pitching two innings, only allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out two. Wise came in for the 10th inning, quickly striking out Josh Willingham and Jorge Cantu. Andino, who came into the game in the top of the inning, crushed a ball deep to left field to end the game.
Heilman was excellent. He can give you two solid innings almost every night, if need be. Wise started off great but one bad pitch, a hanger, ended the game for the Mets.
The Mets offense started off slow, picked it up in the fourth inning, and then quickly quieted down for the rest of the game.
The Mets got an RBI single from Angel Pagan for their first run of the game, scoring Carlos Delgado, who previously singled. Pagan went 1-3 with a walk, driving in two RBI and scoring once.
Pagan has carried his hot spring over to the season. He already has three RBI on this young season.
Brian Schneider, who picked up his first hit as a Met, went 3-4 with a walk on the day, driving in his only RBI with a single to center field that scored Ryan Church.
The light-hitting catcher has the biggest day for the Mets. That's probably not a great sign for the offense.
The Mets also got hits from Luis Castillo, David Wright and Carlos Delgado. Carlos Beltran walked twice and swiped a bag in the ninth inning. Beltran also had a very heads up play in the outfield in the ninth inning, throwing out Uggla at second as he tried to stretch a single to a double.
Beltran is a great player, and I think he is very underrated. He has his share of injuries, but when he is on, he is pretty darn good.
Game Ball: Pagan, keep it up! Let's hope Pedro isn't in bad shape and can bounce back quickly.
The Mets took the game to extras, but Andino connected off of Matt Wise for a walkoff home run to left field to end the game by a score of 5-4.
Pedro got rocked early, giving up a two-run home run in the first inning to Dan Uggla, and a solo shot to Luis Gonzalez and a RBI triple to Hanley Ramirez in the second inning. Pedro was in the fourth inning when his knee seemed to buckle during a pitch, and he apparently heard a "pop" in his leg. He quickly grabbed the back of his left leg and began limping around the mound. He was forced to leave the game and has been diagnosed with a strained left hamstring. He's heading back to New York for an MRI tomorrow. Martinez allowed four earned runs on four hits, walking one and striking out one before being forced out.
Well if that's not a sobering second game of the season, I don't know what is. This is the one of the quickest ways to take all the air out of the Mets balloon. Hopefully he can only miss a few starts, and bounce back into the rotation. We'll know more tomorrow. Still, the rotation is pretty nasty with Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, and John Maine. However long he is out, the Mets will miss him, but they are not in terrible condition.
Jorge Sosa came in as the long man, pitching 2 2-3 of an inning, allowing only three hits. Sosa walked two and struck out one. Scott Schoeneweis was used correctly, getting Cody Ross to pop up to left before being lifted for Joe Smith. Smith used his slider and got two ground outs to third base to complete a hitless inning.
Sosa was just excellent in long relief, and may be forced into a starting role very soon. I really like Sosa's versatility and ability. Schoeneweis is a situational pitcher, who can sometimes be stretched out, so this is the correct way to pitch him, I think. Smith seems to have his nasty slider back, and therefore has reclaimed his nickname of "The Man."
Aaron Heilman was stellar, pitching two innings, only allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out two. Wise came in for the 10th inning, quickly striking out Josh Willingham and Jorge Cantu. Andino, who came into the game in the top of the inning, crushed a ball deep to left field to end the game.
Heilman was excellent. He can give you two solid innings almost every night, if need be. Wise started off great but one bad pitch, a hanger, ended the game for the Mets.
The Mets offense started off slow, picked it up in the fourth inning, and then quickly quieted down for the rest of the game.
The Mets got an RBI single from Angel Pagan for their first run of the game, scoring Carlos Delgado, who previously singled. Pagan went 1-3 with a walk, driving in two RBI and scoring once.
Pagan has carried his hot spring over to the season. He already has three RBI on this young season.
Brian Schneider, who picked up his first hit as a Met, went 3-4 with a walk on the day, driving in his only RBI with a single to center field that scored Ryan Church.
The light-hitting catcher has the biggest day for the Mets. That's probably not a great sign for the offense.
The Mets also got hits from Luis Castillo, David Wright and Carlos Delgado. Carlos Beltran walked twice and swiped a bag in the ninth inning. Beltran also had a very heads up play in the outfield in the ninth inning, throwing out Uggla at second as he tried to stretch a single to a double.
Beltran is a great player, and I think he is very underrated. He has his share of injuries, but when he is on, he is pretty darn good.
Game Ball: Pagan, keep it up! Let's hope Pedro isn't in bad shape and can bounce back quickly.
Pedro forced to leave game
Sadly, this is an April Fools Free Post.
Pedro Martinez landed awkwardly on his leg in the 4th inning while delivering a pitch to Matt Traenor, and was forced to leave the game.
His knee looked like it buckled as his foot caught on the mound, and he immediately grabbed his left hamstring.
He pitched 3 1-3 of an inning, allowing four hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out one.
Paging Nelson Figueroa...Mr. Figueroa...
Update: Martinez has been diagnosed with a strained left hamstring.
Update 2: Kevin Burkhardt is reporting that Martinez felt a "pop" in his leg.
That is not good. That could signal a tear in his hammy, which would spell a long stint on the DL. Pedro is heading back to New York to receive an MRI on his left hamstring tomorrow.
Pedro Martinez landed awkwardly on his leg in the 4th inning while delivering a pitch to Matt Traenor, and was forced to leave the game.
His knee looked like it buckled as his foot caught on the mound, and he immediately grabbed his left hamstring.
He pitched 3 1-3 of an inning, allowing four hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out one.
Paging Nelson Figueroa...Mr. Figueroa...
Update: Martinez has been diagnosed with a strained left hamstring.
Update 2: Kevin Burkhardt is reporting that Martinez felt a "pop" in his leg.
That is not good. That could signal a tear in his hammy, which would spell a long stint on the DL. Pedro is heading back to New York to receive an MRI on his left hamstring tomorrow.
Hernia has given Alou time to think
According to an Associated Press article, Moises Alou says he would never have caught that ball that Steve Bartman "interfered" with.
I guess being down and out with his hernia injury has allowed him to rack his memory for strange happenings over his lifetime.
From the AP:
Anyway, I think it's about time Cubs fans give up on the Bartman bashing. 100 years, Wrigley faithful, it wasn't one guys fault.
I guess being down and out with his hernia injury has allowed him to rack his memory for strange happenings over his lifetime.
From the AP:
I totally forgot that Castillo hit that ball. I wonder if there was any tension between Alou and Castillo when they first were teammates.The Cubs were leading the Marlins three games to two in the 2003 NLCS, ahead 3-0 in the top of the eighth inning and five outs from returning to the World Series when Florida's Luis Castillo lifted a foul down the line in left just past the bullpen.
Alou raced over, timed his jump perfectly, opened his glove wide -- and got beat to the ball by a 26-year-old youth baseball coach in Row 116, Seat 9 who didn't do anything more strenuous than stand up. The baseball hit the heel of Bartman's hand and caromed farther back into the stands. In the Marlins dugout, Game 7 pitcher Mark Redman turned to a teammate and said, "Let's make this kid famous."
They did, but only because a few pitches later, Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez made an equally ham-handed attempt on a grounder that should have been an inning-ending double play. Florida erupted for eight runs to win Game 6 and the only real suspense left was whether the kid would get out of Wrigley Field alive that night. The Marlins clinched the NLCS the night after.
"Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, 'Bartman! Bartman!' I feel really bad for the kid," Alou told Associated Press columnist Jim Litke.
"You know what the funny thing is?" he added a moment later. "I wouldn't have caught it, anyway."
Anyway, I think it's about time Cubs fans give up on the Bartman bashing. 100 years, Wrigley faithful, it wasn't one guys fault.
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