Daily Archives: April 2, 2008
According to CBS 4 in Miami, Marlins infielder Robert Andino‘s Miami home was the scene of an attempted robbery last night, though, thankfully, nothing appeared to be missing.
Andino hit an extra-inning, walk-off home run against Mets RHP Matt Wise during last night’s game.
In a report for MLB.com, Joe Frisaro reports, “After the game, Andino quickly left the Marlins clubhouse to head home to make sure his wife, family and home were safe.”
…man, talk about your swinging emotions…what a night…
According to Wikio, the Mets are the most represented team among the Top 100 Sports Blogs.
MetsBlog.com is the 15th most popular sports blog online, according to the list, up one slot from last month.
Also cracking the Top 100, Faith and Fear in Flushing at No. 91, Amazin Avenue at No. 93, and David Lennon’s blog for Newsday at No. 97…
…by the way, WasWatching.com, which is a Yankees blog, and which is part of the SNY Blog Network, checks in at No. 23, while the newest addition to SNY’s Blog Network, theJetsBlog.com, checks in at No. 81…
…speaking of blogs, i am finally in the process of fishing through the 100 new Mets blogs that have been e-mailed to me in the last few months, and so i will update my site’s blog role soon…sorry for the delay…but 100, jeez…
…the buzz from Miami suggests that Pedro Martinez’s injury may not be as bad as initially feared…still, i believe he may be put on the disabled list, for precautionary purposes, and he’ll be replaced on the roster by Nelson Figueroa…
During an appearance on ESPN 1050, Andrew Marchand said he sat next to Martinez on his flight back to New York.
According to Marchand, Martinez did not walk with a limp, and said he feels ‘fine,’ though he will not know if a trip to the disabled list is necessary until after this morning’s MRI.
This morning in the St. Lucie News, Eric Phaler previews the Opening Day roster for the Single-A St. Lucie Mets.
…while many of last year’s top prospects are now in Double-A Binghamton, there are a number of interesting players in St. Lucie this year…
Leading the way is RHP Brant Rustich, one of the Mets’ second round picks in last June’s amateur player draft. Rated by Baseball America as the Mets’ third-best prospect, Rustich entered the league as a closer, but will be making the transition to starting pitcher this year.
In 23 innings between short season Kingsport and Brooklyn last year, Rustich had a 1.57 ERA – allowing just ten hits, two walks and striking out 22.
…i’m very interested to see how rustich makes the transition to starter, because he has perhaps the best pure stuff of any pitcher in the organization…
RHP Dylan Owen – a control right hander whom the Mets took in the 20th round last year – will try to build on a season in which he won two thirds of the pitching triple crown at Brooklyn.
Owen was 9-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 72.1 innings for the Cyclones, striking out 69 batters.
18–year-old SS Ruben Tejada will be the starting shortstop.
2B Hector Pellot, who hit .275 with 35 stolen bases last year, will start at second base, while speedy OF Ezequiel Carrera, owner of a .329 average and 22 steals between the GCL and Brooklyn last season, will man center field for St. Lucie.
St. Lucie opens the season Thursday night at Tradition Field against the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
…watch this team later on for mid– and late-season call ups, because Brooklyn and Savannah have the chance to be very talented, with some of the organization’s top latin signees and last year’s talented draft picks – and you know the Mets like to push their young talent…
Tagged Minors, St. Lucie Mets |During last night’s loss to the Marlins, Willie Randolph chose to 
use Matt Wise in the 10th inning of a tied game, instead of using his closer, Billy Wagner, who had been warming up in the bullpen.
Willie Randolph, speaking about Wise, while talking to reporters after the game:
“It was up in the air, man. You can’t leave the ball up like that. Andino is obviously not a power hitter. He just made a bad pitch. He threw the ball well, and kept his change up down, but on that, I’m not sure, I think it was a hanging change up…Not a good pitch, man.”
…here we go again…as usual, i see online comments and hear people on radio complaining that willie should have gone to wagner, instead of wise…
…i understand the argument…it’s just that, wise struck out the first two hitters of the inning, and was looking quite good…
…look, if you honestly thought Robert Andino, a guy with zero home runs in 81 career at bats, would hit a home run off a guy who had just struck out the previous two hitters, well, then you, my friend, are a psychic and should be using your powers for things far more important than baseball…
…to me, andino does not warrant using wagner, who will be needed in the next inning or two…of course, it didn’t matter, because andino hit a home run to end the game…in this case, i am fine with using wise, mostly because he had been looking strong…he missed with a change-up, hung it up, and so credit andino for taking advantage…
Tagged Willie Randolph |
To check out video featuring Willie Randolph’s post-game comments, Brian Schenider’s take on the game, game clips, Billy Wagner’s comments on Pedro Martinez, and, of course, an exclusive Post Game Extra with Ron Darling, Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, click here: 
[poll=65]
Tagged Pedro Martinez, Poll |Orlando Hernandez visited his team’s locker room in Miami, where he could work with the team’s trainers.
As noted last night, Hernandez told reporters that he expects to make his first minor-league rehab start tomorrow in St. Lucie.
He is eligible to come off the disabled list on April 13.
…from what i can tell by looking at the schedule, the Mets can pitch Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey up through April 12, which is when they’ll need the fifth starter…it may make sense to just pitch Jorge Sosa or Nelson Figueroa that one day, seeing as hernandez will likely be activated the next day and not necessarily needed until the following week…
…in other words, it will be difficult to determine whether the Mets should try and acquire a free agent starting pitcher, like Claudio Vargas or Woody Williams, until they have seen pelfrey pitch, and also know how stable el duque is…which should work out fine, because i suspect all free agents will now wait with bated breath, knowing what just happened to Pedro Martinez…
Tagged Orlando Hernandez |During the fourth inning of last night’s loss, Pedro Martinez limped off the field with what has been categorized as a strained left hamstring.
He will travel back to New York today for an MRI.
Willie Randolph told reporters after the game that expects Nelson Figueroa to replace Martinez on the roster, should he be moved to the disabled list.
…that would be fine, though, depending on the severity of the injury, it may also make sense to entertain a free-agent, such as Claudio Vargas or Woody Williams…
Randolph, talking to reporters after the game:
“We’ve dealt with injuries since I’ve been here and we have always picked each other up, and depending on where Pedro is, we’ll do the same thing.”
Billy Wagner, after the game:
“The guys have to step up…Resilience will have to be in our vocabulary as a baseball team, and we’re getting tested early…Until he gets back, we’ll have to rely on the other horses to pick it up and we’ll be fine. It’s a tough situation for Petey. He wants to come in and do well, and give our team a shot, and he did…He’ll be back, and all the world will be happy again…It just goes to show you, sometimes you need to eat more doughnuts and get fat. You can’t pull fat.”
In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch asks:
“Admit it, you knew this day was coming…You knew Pedro’s 36 years eventually would catch up with him. Only, who thought his reckoning would come after only 3 1/3 innings?”
According to Dan Graziano in the Star-Ledger, losing Martinez could be a major blow to this team’s mental strength.
Lastly, to hear from ESPN.com’ Buster Olney regarding Martinez’s injury, watch the following clip from ESPN’s Baseball Tonight:
Tagged Pedro Martinez |In a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish believes that he is to blame for Pedro Martinez’s hamstring injury.
At the Brooklyn Met Fan, Adam hopes that Martinez’s injury was just an April Fools joke, adding, “Please tell me that was El Duque out there and not Pedro.”
Speaking of April Fools, apparently Mets Walk-offs is still Mets Walk-offs, not Mets Wall-offs, which was a joke.
…and which i fell for…seriously, what is the matter with me…pay attention, dude…unreal…
MetsGrrl is preaching moderation, saying, “This is the year I learn to take it one game at a time.”
Lastly, FoxSports.com’s Screwballs compares the bad-boy element on the 1986 Mets and the 1993 Phillies, both of whom featured Lenny Dykstra, who will soon release the first edition of his new magazine: The Player’s Club.
Newer posts →
