Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

Tom Glavine Prepares To Face Mets

Logo used until 1999Image from WikipediaTom Glavine will pitch Saturday afternoon on Fox Sports game of the week against the Mets. He made some comments to the media about his first start against his former team:

“It’s the kind of thing I knew obviously would happen at some point of the year,” Glavine said Thursday. “I guess it’s happening now sooner than I anticipated. Of course it’s going to be weird. It’s going to be very similar to when I faced the Braves for the first time after leaving here.”

There isn’t anything in his comments since he rejoined the Atlanta Braves that we haven’t already heard from Glavine. He’s pretty media-saavy and wouldn’t say something that would make headlines. Hopefully, he’ll have another game like he did to end the Mets season last year.

El Duque Starts For St. Lucie Mets

St. Lucie MetsImage 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.

Minaya Talking To Claudio Vargas

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();

Upcoming Atlanta Braves Series

Atlanta BravesImage 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:

  • 4/4- 7:30pm SNY
  • 4/5- 3:55pm Fox
  • 4/6- 1:30pm SNY

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.

Pedro Martinez on the Disabled List

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”.