Mets Top Stories- 4.6.09

I’m sure, like me, that many of you watched Derek Lowe and the Braves put the hammer down on the Phillies. Lowe threw eight shutout innings of 2-hit ball. Of course, the dreaded comparisons of Lowe and Oliver Perez are coming out already. Why didn’t the Mets sign Lowe instead of Perez? We already know why. Perez is nine years younger and costs $24 million less than Lowe.

Onto the top stories of the morning:

CBS Sports has a good recap of the opening night game the Phillies and Braves put on last night. Of course, Derek Lowe was masterful and Jordan Schafer hit a homer in his first major league at-bat. Who says kids shouldn’t do HGH?

Kevin McCarthy of Metsopolis writes a preview of the Reds-Mets series starting the season in Cincinnati.

Mets Prospect Hub posts the opening day roster for the 2009 Binghamton Mets.

Ben Shipgel of the New York Times writes about Johan Santana‘s increased comfort level with the Mets this season. He’s become more of a vocal leader with the departure of Pedro Martinez and is fitting in well in the locker room.

Sarah Green from Ump Bump has a good photo essay of her day at Citi Field on Saturday.

Darren Rovell of CNBC writes that the Citigroup executives will be conspicuously absent on opening day at Citi Field. They won’t be throwing out the first pitch as you would have expected a year ago. If they’re at the game at all, they’ll be hiding in their luxury boxes.

Mike Steffanos of Mike’s Mets writes the first part of his Key to the Mets for 2009 series. At the top of the list is the fact that the honeymoon is over for Jerry Manuel.

Braves Top Prospect Gets HGH Suspension

PED

The Atlanta Braves hot prospect Jordan Schafer was hit with a 50-game minor league suspension for HGH use. I had read some columns prior to the season starting that he would give Mark Kotsay a run for the center field job this season.

I’m not passing judgment on him. Of course, I’m in no position to judge as a Mets fan. The Mets franchise has as many, or more, links to performance enhancing drug use as any team in baseball.

It’s a shame that these guys keep trying to get an edge with PED’s. I’m especially surprised that such a highly touted prospect would go that route. Schafer has a really bright future ahead of him from everything I’ve read. I can only guess that he was doing it in an attempt to make the major league team out of spring training.