Washington Nationals (4-11) at New York Mets (7-6) 7:10pm TV: SNY Radio: WFAN
John Lannan (0-2) vs. Nelson Figueroa (1-0)
What to watch: The Nationals are really limping early in the season. So it would be nice to finish them off for a series sweep tonight. This isn’t exactly a marquis pitching match up, but Figueroa does draw interest as a feel-good story.
Jose Reyes said in the SNY post game show tonight that Carlos Beltran talked to him about the handshakes that he swore off in spring training. Beltran told him that the team misses the shakes and they want Reyes to be himself.
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I love the handshakes and think it’s great energy for the team. Reyes’ game is all about energy, on the field and in the dugout. I was really disappointed when I read this spring that he wasn’t going to continue the handshakes and switch to an “all business” persona.
The argument against the handshakes is that it provokes other teams that think Reyes is embarrassing them. I don’t buy that major league players are any more motivated by seeing Reyes behavior. Even if they are, Reyes should be true to himself and keep up the shakes!
New York- John Maine (1-1) got his first win of the season pitching 6.2 innings giving up five hits, four walks, and two earned runs to go along with four strikeouts. He wasn’t quite as sharp as we saw in spring training but it was good enough for a win tonight. Joe Smith finished off the seventh and the eighth innings. Billy Wagner closed out the ninth for his second save.
The Mets had an unusual power surge with home runs from Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and Ryan Church against his former team. Luis Castillo also had a quiet 3 for 4 night.
The Mets secured the series by taking the first two games of the three game set. They’ll finish the series tomorrow night at Shea Stadium with John Lannan (0-2) up against Nelson Figueroa (1-0).
Ron Darling did an interview with ESPN’s show “First Take”. It’s a good five minute long discussion of the Mets and the National League East.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3349777
Forbes ranks the New York Mets second, behind the Yankees, in overall value of the club at $824 million. The team also had an operating profit of $32.9 million last year. We shouldn’t complain about big contracts like Santana’s and Beltran’s when the team is still making money is the moral of the story. Read the full column here.
ESPN is reporting that Pedro Martinez spoke to Dominican television for an interview, and told them he may be back this month.
“We will give everyone the surprise of the month, I think, if things keep going well and there are no further delays,” Martinez said in an interview with television channel CDN-37 in the Dominican Republic.
Martinez has been in the Dominican visiting his ailing father and working out with a personal trainer. He’s scheduled to be back in Florida today.
Multiple media sources are reporting that Luis Castillo told the press after last night’s game that he needs more rest. The good news is that Damion Easley and Marlon Anderson are capable back up’s at second base. The bad news is that we have to watch Luis Castillo with the Mets for the next four years. His contract will probably be one of the worst in Mets history. There couldn’t have been any other teams offering anything close to that.
From MLB.com:
“Sometimes, I do [need a rest],” Castillo said. “When I play three or four games in a row, maybe I can get a day off. I’m going to ask Willie [Randolph] about it.”
The Mets Report 