Category: Injuries

Jenrry Mejia Injured, Mets Trade Chip Damaged

June 06 2010: Mets' relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia (32) delivers a pitch during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. The Mets beat the Marlins 7-6.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe timing couldn’t be any worse for the Mets. The word from Metsblog is that Jenrry Mejia left yesterday’s start in the second inning with shoulder stiffness. He had only thrown 44 pitches and I’m sure we’ll be getting updates throughout the day. He was pitching for Double-A Binghamton.

The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is coming up on July  31 and the rumors are that the Mariners are ready to deal Cliff Lee now. The Mets biggest trading chip in the organization is suddenly damaged goods, possibly untradeable.

We’ll need to prepare ourselves for the cost of getting a Lee or Roy Oswalt to include Jon Niese. Sure, there are other good players in the organization. But these big deadline deals usually include some young, promising pitching.

The timing for this injury is the worst.

Mets’ John Maine and Hisanori Takahashi

New York Mets starting pitcher Hisanori Takahashi delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of their MLB interleague baseball game in Baltimore, Maryland June 12, 2010. REUTERS/Joe Giza (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsAs the Mets, winners of 19 of their last 25 games, continue to get solid outings from Japanese import Hisanori Takahashi, the future of John Maine becomes more of a question mark with the team. Friday night as Takahashi held the Yankees scoreless over 6 innings of work, John Maine was busy making his second rehab start in Buffalo, lasting 4.1 innings. Maine walked 3 and struck out 4 while throwing 88 pitches and allowing an unearned run, according to the Daily News. The high pitch count suggests more of the same from Maine upon his return.

John Maine’s case has been extremely frustrating recently as he has been forced to combat his surgically repaired right shoulder. We’ve seen his fastball dip from the mid 90’s to the mid to upper 80’s. Maine’s loss of velocity has seemingly gone hand in hand with his poor attitude on the mound and his stubbornness with manager Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Wharthen.

I miss the John Maine of 2007, the pitcher who won 15 games and averaged 8.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. I miss seeing him run that rising fastball up the ladder. Jerry Manuel has already said that Maine will reclaim his role as a starter when he returns to the club. Continue reading “Mets’ John Maine and Hisanori Takahashi”

What to do with Angel Pagan?

New York Mets center fielder Angel Pagan reacts after he dove to catch a drive by Philadelphia Phillies batter Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning of their MLB National League baseball game in New York, May 27, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsMets fans have seen the best of Angel Pagan this season. After 65 games this season Pagan has been the most clutch and consistent Mets player this season.

This begs the question, what do the Mets do with him when Carlos Beltran comes off the disabled list?

Beltran has yet to start his rehab assignment on June 16th, but the Mets are hoping to have Beltran back by mid- July and when he does come back manager Jerry Manuel has a tough decision to make.

Right now the Mets have a good problem. Does Manuel move Pagan to right field and bench Jeff Francoeur? Does he bench Angel Pagan and get some late game spark off the bench? Does he use Francoeur and Pagan in a platoon? Continue reading “What to do with Angel Pagan?”

Mets’ Angel Pagan: A Refined Talent

Angel Pagan
Image by slgckgc via Flickr

Entering the 2010 campaign, the ceiling of Angel Pagan was seemingly an enigma. A talented outfielder plagued by injuries and bone-headed on the field mishaps, all we could really be confident about was that Pagan was a better alternative in center field than the great Gary Matthews Jr. Up to this point though, hitting in a line-up that lacks a true identity, Pagan has been an offensive propeller for the Mets.

So far this season, Pagan has proved all of his critics wrong. Boasting a solid .283 BA, he’s hit in all different slots of the Mets lineup and is well on his way to scoring 100 runs on the season. Pagan has also proved that he’s more of a threat on the bases this year with 12 swipes in 15 chances. He was gunned down a third of the time last season by opposing catchers. Continue reading “Mets’ Angel Pagan: A Refined Talent”

Mets Links: Beltran, Maine, Santana

FLUSHING, NY - JUNE 23: Shortstop Edgardo Alfonzo #13 of the New York Mets watches the flight of the ball during the MLB game against the Kansas City Royals on June 23, 2002 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Mets won, 5-4. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets are off today so I thought it was a good time for some links. It still seems like a dream that they could actually win a series on the road, much less sweep one, but sweep the Orioles they did. They’re on the way to Cleveland to start a series there on Tuesday. Here are the links

Carlos Beltran has been working in Port St. Lucie to return from knee surgery. He’s been playing some center field in squad games and plans to return “soon”. Despite Jerry Manuel’s comments about Beltran coming back to DH next weekend in the Bronx, the Mets says that’s not happening.

John Maine made a rehab start for the Binghamton Mets in Trenton yesterday. His fastball topped out at 88 mph and he’s expected to make another start on Friday for Buffalo. It’s going to be very interesting to see if Manuel believes that Maine should walk back into the rotation and supplant Hisanori Takahashi. Personally, I think Maine belongs in the bullpen.

In other injury news, Fernando Martinez is back with Buffalo and went 2 for 4 with a home run yesterday. Continue reading “Mets Links: Beltran, Maine, Santana”

John Maine Rehab Assignment To Begin

NEW YORK - JULY 10: John Maine #33 of the New...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Mets pitcher John Maine will begin a rehab assignment for the Binghamton Mets in Trenton on Sunday. He says that he’ll need one more start after that before re-joining the Mets. He’s been on the disabled list for right rotator cuff tendinitis.

Maine can rest and rehab all he wants, but if he doesn’t re-gain his velocity there’s no way that he’ll be an effective pitcher. He just doesn’t have the control or secondary pitches to throw a sub-90’s fastball successfully.

The big issue for Maine is that he’ll be a free agent after this season and likely pitching somewhere else in 2011. This is his third straight season with health problems and he’s become a guy that can’t stay healthy and hasn’t been effective when he is healthy.

Maine will return to the starting rotation when he comes back, likely next week. The only reason he’ll get a rotation spot is because Hisanori Takahashi has been equally awful in his last two starts.

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Is This The Last We’ve Seen of Oliver Perez?

MLB: Giants vs Mets MAY 09

As MLB starts an investigation into the “injury” of Oliver Perez that comes at a most convenient time, I talked with an equal number of Mets and Yankee fans about what pitcher has been the most damaging to their respective team.

Carl Pavano of the Yankees, who supposedly has an MRI machine named after him in the Yankees clubhouse, or Oliver Perez of the Mets who famously broke his toe kicking a cart after a loss that landed him on the DL for two months while playing for the Pirates.

Why did this topic come up?

Interestingly enough, the Twins are in town between June 25th and 27th. This is Carl Pavano’s current team. Oliver Perez will be off the disabled list just in time for this series and, in theory, we could see a Perez/Pavano matchup. What would we call it? Continue reading “Is This The Last We’ve Seen of Oliver Perez?”