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The San Diego Padres placed 2B Tad Iguchi on the disabled list today with a separated shoulder. Last night, in the seventh inning, he tried to jump over Kevin Kouzmanoff’s ground ball unsuccessfully. He came down hard on his shoulder and was replaced at second base by Edgar Gonzalez, Adrian’s older brother.
Iguchi is being replaced on the roster by infielder Craig Stansberry from Triple-A Portland. He’s hitting .232 there this season.
ESPN’s Buster Olney talks about the hot topics in baseball news today including the return of Pedro Martinez.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3425350
Alou experienced a setback while running in his rehab from a strained calf. Now he won’t come off the disabled list until at least next Tuesday. Originally, he told reporters that he’d be back in the lineup on Friday in San Diego.
Moises Alou is almost as frustrating as Oliver Perez, but for vastly different reasons. Alou is such a solid offensive player, when healthy, that its difficult to see him have so much time on the disabled list.
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It was great to see Pedro Martinez re-join the Mets rotation after two months off recovering from a strained hamstring. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a nice addition to the team… Not a great addition. He spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list in each of the last three seasons. And he’s 36 years old and eight years removed from his third, and most recent, Cy Young Award.
His influence as a clubhouse leader has been vastly overstated in my opinion. The Mets don’t need production in the locker room, they need it on the field. If he’s more important as a locker room influence then make him a coach. We need him to produce on the field.
Gerry Fraley wrote a nice column today for the Sporting News about this topic. His contention is that as long as Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey are in the Mets rotation, their problems aren’t cured. I have to agree with that contention. I like Mike Pelfrey and think he has the ability to be a solid starter at the big league level, but he is so unpolished that I think he needs more time in the minors.
Who knows what to make of Oliver Perez? I don’t think that anyone does this season. The Mets may just have caught lightning in a bottle last season with his 15 wins. If he can get out of the first or second inning in games, it’s just unacceptable. Pedro Martinez pitching every fifth day isn’t going to change that.
The local papers and talk shows are buzzing about the return of Pedro Martinez to the Mets, and the introduction of Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation for the Yankees. Check the back pages and the sports talk shows this afternoon and that’s all that you’ll hear about.
It’ll be a fun night because New York baseball fans will get to see Joba for the Yankees early and then Pedro in the nightcap from San Francisco. Both teams need a boost from their pitchers. The Yanks are toiling away in fourth place, seven games behind the Rays. Equally as mediocre, the Mets are also in fourth place and four and a half games back of the Phillies.
Unfortunately, I like the Yankees’ chances better with a young, power arm coming into the rotation from the bullpen. The Mets are relying on Pedro Martinez to utilize his guile because his power has long since disappeared from his 36 year old arm. Continue reading “Welcome Back Pedro, Your Age Is Showing”
New York Mets oft-injured outfielder Moises Alou is with the team in San Francisco this week. He’s been telling reporters that he’ll be ready to come off the disabled list on Friday in San Diego. That’s the first day he’s eligible from the strained calf that’s been bothering him.
I love Alou’s bat in the lineup. Even at 41years old, he may be the Mets most consistent hitter. If he was only consistently off the disabled list, the Mets would be in better shape offensively.
Going forward the Mets need to work him in and out of the lineup more frequently. When Angel Pagan gets back he’ll provide a nice reprieve in left field for Alou. Until then, the light-hitting Endy Chavez needs to frequently take over in the outfield for Alou to preserve his presence on this team.
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The ESPN Baseball Tonight crew talks about Pedro’s return and Joba Chamberlain’s first start for the Yankees. I think that Chris Singleton might be giving Pedro a little too much credit for the Met success over the past week. But it sure is nice to have Pedro back after watching Oliver Perez stink up AT&T Park last night.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3423452
The Mets Report 