Daily Archives: August 15, 2009
Carlos Beltran participated in pre-game workouts for a second consecutive day, and Beltran reported no pain.
After the workout, Beltran told reporters:
“I took balls going back, to the sides, coming forward. I didn’t feel anything in what I did out there.”
…this is certainly encouraging and the fact that he is pain free for two days is a fantastic sign, but like I said earlier today, i’ll believe he is ok when I see him roaming center field in a game, not during batting practice…
Prior to today’s loss against the Giants, Jerry Manuel told reporters that he expects Billy Wagner to rejoin the Mets sometime during the coming week, saying:
“Exactly what day that is, I’m not quite sure yet. But at some point next week, we expect or anticipate him to be part of the team.”
Wagner completed his rehab assignment last night for St. Lucie, tossing twelve pitches and continued his scoreless run.
He last pitched in a Major League game August 2, 2008.
…i am pretty excited to see him come back…i always liked his candid personality and thought it was good for the clubhouse…i wonder if they will be simply showcasing him to try and get some value for him from a contender in a post-deadline move, but at the same time ill be curious to see what effect he has on this current group of Mets…
Update, 8:17 pm:
David Wright has suffered a concussion, and will remained hospitalized overnight at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Original Post:
David Wright was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Matt Cain in the bottom of the fourth inning during today’s game.
Wright walked off the field under his own power, and Fernando Tatis replaced him as a pinch runner.
…it was a scary sight and I hope he is ok…he was down for about two minutes but it was a great sign to see him walk off the field under his own power…
The Mets lost to the Giants by the score of 5-4 at Citi Field today.
For a full recap and box score, click here.
The Least You Should Know:
The game and the result were overshadowed by David Wright getting hit in the head by a Matt Cain fastball in the top of the fourth inning.
It did not appear that Cain hit him intentionally, but Johan Santana appeared to retaliate by throwing behind Pablo Sandoval, who promptly hit a solo home run, and then he hit Bengie Molina in the seventh inning.
Santana was not ejected from the game even though both teams had been issued warnings.
Wright was taken via ambulance to the Hospital for Special Surgery for further examination.
This was a pitchers duel until the sixth inning when the Giants scored three runs off of Santana thanks to a Bengie Molina RBI double, a Ryan Garko RBI single, and an Aaron Rowand RBI groundout.
The Mets managed to tie the game at four a piece with a three run eighth, two of which were charged to Cain.
In a tasteless move, Cain tipped his cap to the Met fans as he left the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.
However, Francisco Rodriguez allowed a solo home run to Molina in the top of the tenth inning and the Mets had no answer to that in the bottom half.
Other Observations and Notes:
I was glad to see Santana stand up for his teammate, I just wish he would have hit Sandoval rather than allowing a solo home run.
As bad as I feel for Wright and I am hoping that he will be ok, today marked another day in this freaky Mets season that has been riddled with injury.
Molina is becoming a Met killer.
The Mets conclude their series against the Giants tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 pm with Mike Pelfrey taking on Jonathan Sanchez.
The Mets continue their four-game series with the Giants today at 4 pm in Citi Field, with Johan Santana (13-8, 3.00) taking on Matt Cain (12-4, 2.44 ERA).
Alex Cora was a late scratch from tonight’s starting lineup with a sore right hand.
CF Cory Sullivan will hit leadoff, followed in order by 2B Luis Castillo, 3B David Wright, LF Gary Sheffield, 1B Daniel Murphy, RF Jeff Francoeur, C Brian Schneider, SS Anderson Hernandez and Santana.
Cain is 0–2 in last two starts, during which he’s allowed nine runs and 15 hits in 15 innings. He is 3-3 with a 4.38 ERA in six starts against the Mets.
Meanwhile, Santana is 8-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 12 starts in Citi Field.
Prior to the game, Jerry Manuel told reporters Billy Wagner will rejoin the team next week, not Sunday as had been speculated.
Prior to last night’s game, Carlos Beltran shagged flyballs in the outfield, something that is clearly a positive step towards a return in 2009.
About Beltran’s return, Manuel told reporters:
“I’m very optimistic about that at this point. Tomorrow will be a determining factor. It depends on how he responds to the work he did today. Can he do the same thing tomorrow that he did today? That will be very key for us in the progression of things.”
…With the way injuries have been discussed and handled over the last 3+ seasons, I need to see Beltran on the field and in a game to believe he has progressed…
…its great that he is progressing, but we know that this can be a complicated injury and at this point, with the team so far out of playoff contention, I would rather he be shutdown completely if he isn’t 100 percent…
Prior to last night’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that Livan Hernandez will remain in the starting rotation.
“I still believe he can get it done,” Manuel said. “I don’t want to make it a do-or-die situation for him. I don’t want him to have that type of pressure, so he gets a shot.”
In his last ten starts, Hernandez is 2-6 with a 6.47 ERA, and is averaging just over 5 2/3 innings in those starts.
…Livan has been horrid lately but I think we all expected that he would start strong and fade towards the end, which is exactly what happened…the issue is that there really aren’t any other options right now except Figueroa…
…I think if Niese would have stayed healthy, Hernandez’s spot would be in serious jeopardy, but that could be said about a lot of the current players…
In a win against the Giants last night, Bobby Parnell pitched six scoreless innings, using 86 pitches, while striking out seven and allowing just three hits.
“It’s a big, big boost for us going forward,” Jerry Manuel said, after the game, regarding Parnell.
…the first start, which was essentially a reverse relief appearance was a learning experience, like parnell said after the game… he mixed his pitches well, seemed poised, comfortable, and did all the things people said he needed to do… last night, though, is still difficult to judge because the Giants are pretty weak offense… of course, he could have been knocked around by a weak offense, and he wasn’t… so, i guess what i’m saying is, i’m excited to see his next start, which should be next week against the Braves…
“I think I just had a better rhythm and got a little bit of a routine behind me,” Parnell explained.
Tagged News |
In a report in the New York Post, Mark Hale says that the Mets have no plans to retire Mike Piazza‘s number at Citi Field.
The Mets released a statement about honoring Piazza on Thursday:
“There are a number of great players from our team’s past that we will honor at Citi Field. That process is under way as we have begun installation of photographic imagery of famous Mets — including Mike — and historic moments in team history on the Field and Promenade Levels. Mike is one of the greatest Mets ever, and we certainly will recognize his significant impact on our franchise and his meaningful connection to our fans in a special way at Citi Field.”
…simply put, Piazza is the greatest hitter in team history and the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history…he has become the face of this team’s past and tradition along with Tom Seaver who is clearly the best pitcher in franchise history…
…so if Seaver is the best pitcher in team history and Piazza is the best hitter in team history, why won’t the Mets retire Piazza’s number…
Tagged Mike Piazza |
