….with a long, and hopefully fruitful day of baseball ahead with the division-rival Braves, I did a quick Q & A with Martin Gandy, who blogs about the Braves for Talking Chop…
D.J. Short:
How concerned are you about John Smoltz at this point?
Martin Gandy:
Pretty concerned. His age, plus his history of arm problems, plus the constant [...]

…as the Mets continue their westerly trek with a stop at Chavez Ravine, i did a quick Q & A with Jon Weisman, who blogs about the Dodgers for the excellent Dodger Thoughts…
D.J. Short:
What has Joe Torre’s arrival meant to the Dodgers organization?
Jon Weisman:
It has excited X number of people inside and outside the organization, [...]

…as the Mets take on the surging Diamondbacks in Arizona this weekend, I did a quick Q & A with Jim McLennan, who blogs about the D’Backs for AZ SnakePit…
D.J. Short:
How exciting is it to see all these young players develop at the same time? How long before GM Josh Byrnes gets the national recognition [...]

…as the Mets kick off an abbreviated two-game series with the Pirates tonight, i did a quick Q & A with Charlie Wilmoth, who blogs about the Pirates for Bucs Dugout…
D.J. Short:
I’ll start off with something positive: Nate McLouth, who homered twice Sunday. Did you see this potential in him during the second [...]

…as the Mets return home to host the Braves for the first time this season, I caught up with Matt Foreman, who blogs about the Braves at Talking Chop…
D.J. Short:
First, tell us a little about tonight’s starter Jair Jurrjens.
Matt Foreman:
Well he meets our team requirement of always carrying one player native to Curacao. A [...]

…as the Mets head to Chicago for their only Wrigley Field trip this season, i did a quick Q & A with Al Yellon, who blogs about the Cubs for Bleed Cubbie Blue…
D.J. Short: 
Derrek Lee seems to have found his power swing again. Is it safe to say his wrist is fully healed?
Al Yellon: 
Absolutely. Lee [...]

…in preparation for this weekend’s much anticipated series with the Phillies, I did a quick Q & A with Tom Goyne, who blogs about the Phils for Balls, Sticks & Stuff…
D.J. Short:
How have the injuries to Victorino and Rollins thrown a wrench into the composition of this ballclub? Do you feel it makes you [...]

…some familiar faces make their return to Shea Stadium tonight as the Mets take on the Nationals in the first of three…with that in mind, I did a quick Q & A with Chris Needham, who blogs about the Nationals for Capitol Punishment…
D.J. Short:
First things first, have you had a chance to visit the [...]

…fresh off taking two out of three from the Phillies, the Mets take on the Brewers this weekend…with that in mind, i did a quick Q & A with Jeff Sackmann, who writes about the Brewers for Brew Crew Ball…
D.J. Short:
First, a question about Yovani Gallardo, who may return from the DL [...]

…my biggest concern about the early going is that despite the acquisition of Johan Santana, i feel no sense of urgency with this ballclub…ultimately, i fear that his acquisition may be a band-aid on a bigger problem…i hope i’m wrong…
…i’m not gonna lie, even i have found myself dismissing a loss [...]

..to kick off Blogger Beat for the 2008 season, I did a quick Q & A with Jason Weitzel, who writes about the Phillies at Beerleaguer…
D.J. Short…
Carlos Beltran made some uncharacteristic remarks about the Mets being the “team to beat” this Spring. Do Phils fans get wrapped up in that kind of thing or do [...]

The Game :
The Mets (2-2) close out an abbreviated two-game series with the Braves (2-3) this afternoon at Turner Field, starting at 1:35 pm.
The 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
SP Johan Santana

The Pitchers :
LHP Johan Santana (1-0, 2.57 ERA) starts for [...]

At his blog for the Journal News, John Delcos reports that RHP Matt Wise will be unavailable today due to a sore right forearm.
An MRI on the pitcher was negative.

The Game :
Weather-permitting, the Mets (2-1) will take on Braves (1-3) this afternoon at Turner Field, starting at 3:55 pm.
The 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
SP John Maine

The Pitchers :
RHP John Maine makes his 2008 debut for the Mets. In 32 [...]

Tonight’s game vs. the Braves was postponed due to inclement weather.
It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 20th.