…well, i think it’s safe to say the Mets will not be acquiring haladay, if they are unwilling to part with martinez… personally, i am unsure… i mean, again, the thought of pairing halladay with Johan Santana, and a healthy lineup next season, Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen, and keeping Brad Holt and Jennry Mejia is still quite appealing…

…by the way, from what i can gather, the Mets still love martinez and believe he will be a star… the thing is, so do the Jays, and other teams around the league, and, apparently, his performance, at 20 years old, this season for the Mets helped his case… i’d have thought it hurt it, but, apparently, this is why i am not a scout… the concern, however, seems to be that has still yet to play a long stretch of games, perform consistently well and stay healthy…

ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons said this morning on ESPN Radio that the Phillies remain the most likely team to acquire Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay.

Gammons said the Phillies have the opportunity to win three World Series in a row, with the chance to be considered the greatest team in Philadelphia sports history, and Halladay will help that happen.

Heyman also labels the Phillies as front-runners for Halladay, as well, though they’ll be expected to part with J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, among other prospects.

• Fernando Martinez had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss six to eight weeks.
• Carlos Beltran has not resumed baseball activities and he had another MRI during the All-Star Break which showed the same bone bruise in his knee.
• Jose Reyes has been showing improvement as he actually has no pain at the moment in his injured hamstring tendon, but there is no timetable for him to start playing in a rehabiliation assigment although he is working out in Port St. Lucie and took batting practice against John Maine yesterday.
• Speaking of Maine, he is expected to start a rehabilitation assignment in about a week.
• Carlos Delgado is fielding ground balls and swinging the bat in Port St. Lucie – which is what he was doing in New York prior to the All-Star Game.

…as Ted said yesterday, Minaya was very vague and my opinion is that he is not optimisitic about the return of most, if any of these key players…and what the Mets would get out of them, assuming any of them return, is another big question…

Argenis Reyes has been promoted from Triple-A.

…i don’t know for fact, but i think martinez has been on the disabled list at least once per season during his professional career… to which Ted Berg said to me Fernando Martinez: Teenage Hurting Machine…

To listen to WFAN live, online, click here.

According to Heyman, the Mets had a meeting yesterday to discuss their prospects, and seem to have no interest in trading Jenrry Mejia, Brad Holt, Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis.

Heyman says a deal for Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay will certainly cost some combination of Holt, Mejia, Davis or Martinez, and so a deal with the Mets is not likely to happen.

What’s more, Heyman says the Mets have struggled to match up with Billy Beane and the A’s, regarding OF Matt Holliday; they’ve checked in on Aubrey Huff, but the Mets see him most as a DH, much like they view Nationals OF Adam Dunn; and so, in the end, he does not see any imminent trades for the Mets.

However, Heyman said the Phillies do have the necessary talent to acquire Halladay, who they are very much interested in, as do the Giants, and possibly the Cardinals and Dodgers.

Speaking of injuries…

In an outstanding, must-read report for the New York Times, in which he tries to learn why so many teams are suffering so many injuries, Michael S. Schmidt writes:

“The amount of time players were out with injuries (in MLB) increased 26 percent from 2006 to 2008… This year’s numbers, midway through the season, are similar to those from last year, when players spent more time on the disabled list than ever before.”

Schmidt points out that the Braves have played the entire season without Tim Hudson, and have seven other players on the disabled list.

…i think the problem for the Mets has not only been the number of injuries, but the caliber player who is injured… i mean, in the off-season, i wrote how John Maine, J.J. Putz and Carlos Delgado would be the linchpin for the entire season… well, all three have been missing in action, among others, and so is the entire season…

…and so, for all their cockiness, just two games in first place, i’d like to know from Phillies fans how they feel their team would fare without Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Joe Blanton, Jaime Moyer and Ryan Madsen…

Martinez ended the game last night with a pinch hit groundout.

…is anyone surprised…

Meanwhile, John Maine has been cleared to lightly throw a baseball every other day, but he has not been able to even exercise his sore shoulder since being shutdown last week.

Finally, Angel Pagan, who has been sidelined by a strained groin, should be ready to begin rehab games on Monday.

…this will be interesting to watch, in that Daniel Murphy had been looking better at the plate, as well… evans had been playing the outfield in Double-A, so perhaps he ends up in a corner if Gary Sheffield ends up missing more time… or, perhaps evans leapfrogs Fernando Tatis in the pecking order, since tatis cannot stop hitting in to double plays… jeeez, man… or, maybe murphy is out of luck… or, maybe it’s time to send down Fernando Martinez…

Martinez is hitting .174 in 69 at bats this season, but just .095 in his last seven games.

…martinez can hit a fastball… no doubt… however, he’s clearly over-matched when facing other, devastating pitches, like the split-finger fastball, the 12–6 curve ball, a power change-up, etc., pitches he most likely never ever saw in Triple-A, let alone Double-A…

Yesterday, WFAN’s Mike Francesa said the Mets may soon need to consider sending Martinez back to the minor leagues if his batting average dips below .150, for fear his confidence could be totally shattered.

Francesa said he would be worried that, for a 19–year-old kid, Martinez could psych himself out and begin believing he is incapable of playing in the major leagues, creating a huge set back for the young prospect, which could take years to recover from.

…i don’t know about all of that, though it’s a interesting point…

Heyman takes this to mean Omar Minaya will not trade Fernando Martinez, Brad Holt or Jenry Mejia.

…in other words, the Mets will not be acquiring A’s OF Matt Holliday, nor any front-line starting pitchers… i believe Adam Dunn is more likely to cost major-league talent, like Bobby Parnell… i no longer believe the Astros will trade Carlos Lee, and, so far, the Rockies are holding tight because of their winning streak, in case you are thinking of Brad Hawpe… the same can essentially be said for the White Sox and Jermaine Dye… it’s going to be a weird market, frankly, because there are only three teams who are clearly out of contention… the rest are either in it, or believe there are still more tickets to be sold…

To follow Heyman on Twitter, go here, and tell him Matthew Cerrone sent you.

Speaking of trades…

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies are struggling to trade for a starting pitcher.

However, starting today, Sheffield will need to begin playing defense in left field, as the Mets return to the National League.

“It gave me a chance to give my legs a rest, and to get more treatment than usual and to not run around as much,” Sheffield told reporters, as quoted by USA Today.

…frankly, at this point, i think the Mets should demote Fernando Martinez, assuming sheffield and Ryan Church will get the majority of at bats – as they should…

…my guess is jerry finds at bats for martinez, switching out church and resting sheffield from time to time, until Angel Pagan is ready to return from the disabled list, at which point martinez will return to Buffalo.

Left-handed reliever Mark Hendrickson entered the game for the Orioles, and walked Alex Cora to bring in the tying run.

Jerry Manuel pinch hit Fernando Tatis for Fernando Martinez, who had hit the ball to the outfield in two previous at bats, including a ground-rule double.

…i probably would have let the kid hit, despite their being a left-handed pitcher on the mound, only because he had been looking good at the plate…

…however, i understand pulling him, considering how tatis has been clutch in the past – though not so much this season – and martinez had been struggling in general, plus the lefty…

However, Tatis, with a 2–0 count, against a pitcher who just walked in the tying run, swung, and hit in to an inning-ending double play.

In 39 at bats this season, Tatis is batting .128 with runners in scoring position.

He hit .392 with runners in scoring position last season.

“They played me very well,” Tatis told reporters following the game.  “That ball that I hit should be a base hit… Brian Roberts played right next to the base.  I hit that ball pretty good.”

…well, i mean, i guess every ball should be a base hit… except for those pesky fielders with those fancy gloves…

Jerry Manuel agreed, telling reporters essentially the same thing, adding, “That was a big play for them.”