Luis Castillo plans to play tomorrow against the Brewers after missing a couple of games with a sore right knee. Damion Easley filled in nicely but Luis Castillo brings solid defense and a good fit in the second spot in the batting order. Read the full story from MLB.com.
Author: Dave Doyle
Frequently disappointed Mets fan
Jose Reyes Out Tomorrow
The SNY post game show interviewed Jose Reyes who said that his hamstring is sore and he won’t play tomorrow. He’s going to take it day by day. He left the game in the fifth inning after being doubled up on a ground ball.
Likely Damion Easley will fill in for Reyes. If a long term solution is needed Anderson Hernandez would be the logical choice but a roster move would be required to get him on the major league roster.
Is Aaron Heilman Back On Track?
Image via WikipediaAaron Heilman pitched the eighth inning tonight despite having three poor performances to start the season. I have to admit that I thought it would be better to put him in a less stressful position. Willie Randolph is loyal to his veteran players, sometimes to a fault. He kept Heilman in his normal eighth inning role.
Heilman is pitching to a 9.00 ERA so far this year and has been the goat of several recent games. He even walked two batters in his appearance tonight.
Clearly Randolph is standing by Heilman as his setup man but the leash has to be shorter than when the season began last week. I don’t sense any sentiment among Mets fans that Heilman is the closer of the future for the Mets. Billy Wagner is still under contract for next season so there’s no immediate need for concern. I like Heilman’s stuff as a setup man and hope tonight’s eighth inning is a sign that he’s back on track.
Mets Defeat Brew Crew 4-2 Behind Figueroa
New York- Nelson Figueroa made his first start for the Mets this season an impressive one. He went six strong innings giving up two runs, two hits, and two walks with six strikeouts for the win.
The bullpen took over for Figueroa and did a great job for the final three innings. Joe Smith, Aaron Heilman, and Billy Wagner shut the Brewers down without giving up a hit.
The offense, as usual, was powered by Angel Pagan. He continued his hot hitting going 2 for 4 with another RBI raising his season average to .387.
There is some concern that Jose Reyes left the game with a tight hamstring. Marlon Anderson came in to play second, and Damion Easley moved to shortstop replacing Reyes.
Audio: Billy Wagner on ESPN Radio
Listen to Billy Wagner’s weekly appearance with Michael Kay on ESPN Radio.
On Deck: April 11, 2008
Milwaukee Brewers (6-3) at New York Mets (4-4) 7:10pm TV: SNY Radio: WFAN
Manny Parra (1-0) vs. Nelson Figueroa (0-0)
What to watch: The Brewers have some talent on their team. It won’t be an easy series for the Mets. Nelson Figueroa is auditioning for a semi-permanent spot in the rotation.
Mets Beat Phils 4-3 in 12th Inning To Win Series
New York- John Maine pitched a great game coming back from a poor first appearance. He went six innings giving up only one run. He did have five walks tonight but was able to work out of trouble.
Aaron Heilman blew the lead in the eighth inning giving up a monster lead-off home run to Ryan Howard to lead off the inning. He ended up giving up two runs in the inning that allowed the Phillies to tie the game at three.
Billy Wagner pitched a scoreless ninth, strangely throwing from the windup. Scott Schoenweiss had a nice rebound performance pitching 1.1 innings and working his ERA down to 3.00. Hopefully, he can keep that going.
Jose Reyes hit a double off Tom Gordon in the 12th inning and scored on a single by Angel Pagan. Pagan has been in the middle of everything the Mets have done offensively this young season hitting .370 over the first eight games.
The Mets win the series 2 games to 1 and have the Brewers coming to town tomorrow night for a three game series.
The Mets Report 