Image from WikipediaOrlando Hernandez went 5 innings tonight against the Vero Beach Rays. You can see the full box score at the St. Lucie Mets website. He gave up three hits, two earned runs, struck out 6, and walked one in an 8-3 loss. He also hit a batter.
El Duque says that he’ll make two more minor league starts before he’s ready to rejoin the Mets.
Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal reports about Martinez’ injury and what it means for the near future for the Mets. Rosenthal is the best baseball writer this side of Peter Gammons. Read the column here.
Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal talks about the impact of Martinez’ injury on the Mets and possible replacements in the rotation.
David Lennon of Newsday reports that Omar Minaya has been talking about a possible contract offer to former Brewers pitcher Claudio Vargas. Lennon reports that Vargas’ agent Brian Stringfellow had this to say:
“Omar, to his credit, has been very upfront with me and I appreciate the Mets’ candor,” Stringfellow said. “What I’m hearing from that situation, it just doesn’t jibe. I’m trying to get Claudio in the right situation, not a quick situation.”
Stringfellow sounds like he’s looking for the best scenario for Vargas to get a spot in the rotation. Vargas would probably only be a temporary solution for the Mets.
Apparently, Minaya is also looking at the Robinson Tejada who was recently designated for assignment by the Rangers. The scary thing about him is that the Rangers are giving up on his potential and they haven’t had decent pitching this decade.
http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/javascript/image.jspicApp_publisherId = 1326;picApp_imageId = 11928;picApp_imageWidth = 343;picApp_imageHeight = 504;picApp_configUrl = “http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/GetConfig.aspx”;picApp_Picview=”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/en/picviewerv1_1.swf”;picapp_numberOfLine=2;ImageServe();
Image from WikipediaThe Mets road series with the Atlanta Braves gets started tomorrow night with John Maine going against Tim Hudson. The schedule for the series is:
I’ve been surprised to see how many baseball analysts have been picking the Braves to have a strong season. I don’t agree. Despite their $102 million payroll, I believe they’re going to about a .500 team maybe a little below. The departures of Andruw Jones via free agency to the Dodgers and Edgar Renteria via trade to the Tigers will have a negative impact on the team. They’ve still got some good players there but not enough to challenge the Phillies and Mets this season.
The Mets expect Martinez to be out for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring strain. Nelson Figueroa was brought up from Triple-A New Orleans to replace him on the roster.
Mike Pelfrey should pitch in Martinez’ spot in the rotation beginning on April 8th. Then I would have El Duque take the fifth spot in the rotation beginning April 12th. El Duque could replace Figueroa on the roster at that point.
Whoever it is that takes Pedro’s spot is walking into a difficult situation. Martinez was scheduled to pitch the last ever opening day at Shea Stadium. There’s a sense of organizational pride that goes along with that responsibility. It’s a big deal as much as the players will give us the one-liners about how “it’s just another game”.
The Mets should know the status of Pedro’s injury by this afternoon. The Mets front office is reported to be actively looking at options to replace him in the starting rotations. The options reportedly include players currently under contract such as Nelson Figueroa, the recently waived Brian Stokes, and Jorge Sosa.
There are also free agent possibilities such as Claudio Vargas and Jeff Weaver.
We should get some news soon.
The Mets Report 