Nieve Recalled From Buffalo
The Mets have recalled RHP Fernando Nieve from AAA Buffalo to replace J.J. Putz on the active roster.
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Reyes Tries New Procedure To Heal Ailing Hamstring
Jose Reyes will undergo an unusual treatment for his torn hamstring called Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP). The process involves blood being taken from him and spun in a centrifuge to pull out the platelets. The platelets are then injected at the site of the injury. The procedure is said to help regenerate tendons and shorten recovery time. It could help avoid surgery.
This process has been outlined in the New York Times among other places. Hines Ward and Troy Polomalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly tried this therapy to help them heal from injuries while on a Super Bowl run.
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Tomorrow in Mets History
I loved this story from via SI.com‘s Baseball Today page for tomorrow:
1918 – Casey Stengel, after being traded by Brooklyn in the offseason, made his return to Ebbets Field a memorable one. In his first at-bat, Stengel called time, stepped out of the batter’s box and doffed his cap. A bird flew out and the fans broke into laughter.
But that wasn’t Mets history. This is:
2003 – The New York Mets ended Seattle’s 13-game road winning streak with a 3-2 win in the first meeting between the teams. It was the longest streak in the majors since Detroit’s 17 straight road wins in 1984.
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Rosenthal: Putz Out 8-10 Weeks
Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com is reporting that J.J. Putz will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur in his pitching elbow. Putz will be out 8 to 10 weeks.
Looks like it’s for real now. A big test for Bobby Parnell.
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Injury Report: Putz and Reyes
As reported after yesterday’s game J.J. Putz will be seeing a doctor in new York today. He said his elbow “hurt like hell” and acknowledged he hasn’t been comfortable when throwing his split-finger fastball after that. This discomfort has resulted in his recent ineffectiveness. Apparently this has been going on since the Mets trip to San Francisco. That was two and a half weeks ago. You’ve got to wonder what took him so long to get to the point that he’d see the doctor. He’s put his team at risk in every appearance he’s made in that time. That’s 10 games for those keeping score at home.
It’s expected that Putz will have surgery to fix a bone spur in his throwing elbow. The resulting DL stint would result in an open spot in the bullpen. The current favorites for that spot are righthanders Elmer Dessens and Nelson Figueroa.
Also reported yesterday was a bump in the road for Jose Reyes, who was removed from a rehab game on Wednesday. An MRI in New York yesterday revealed a tear in his right hamstring tendon. This is a new injury that is not related to the calf injury he was rehabbing. Reyes could be out 4 to 6 more weeks. This will put even more strain on the Mets weakened position at shortstop. Thankfully Alex Cora is back from his DL stint. Hopefully Cora and Luis Castillo can stay healthy and produce a bit of stability in the middle infield during Reyes’s convalescence.
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Mt. Beltran Finally Blows
Carlos Beltran‘s stomach virus is gone and it left a monster in it’s wake. In yesterday’s game, his first since battling the virus, Beltran went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. But the real monster came out later, after the Mets lost 11-6 to complete the Pirates sweep of them.
Beltran actually said he was “embarrassed” by the way the Mets’ performed against the Pirates, who were in last place in the NL Central before the Mets visited. He went off on a rant when talking to reporters after the game. Here are some highlights:
- “After we lose the first game, which I thought we were going to win, it really changed the tempo of how we were playing the game. Basically, the opposing team gained confidence and they came back and basically outran us.” In other words we let them beat us.
- “I’m not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching — we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept — personally, I feel embarrassed.” So do the fans.
- “We have to play better. There’s no doubt we have to play better.”
- “We have to take this personal, because this can’t happen. It can’t happen for us to come here and lose three games just like that. It can’t happen.”
- “I know they’re a big league ballclub, but we’re better than them (the Pirates). We’re better than them. We know we’re better than them, but we have to do something about it.”
- “(Nate) McLouth wasn’t there and they still come out and score how many runs? Eleven? Eleven runs. So we have to play better.”
Sounds to me like someone has finally caught some fire and it’s about time. Beltran didn’t call out a single teammate with his comments. He called out the whole darn team! Compare Beltran’s words to David Wright‘s comments: “We need to put this series behind us and really move forward. It’s funny how this game works. We were playing such good baseball coming into the series, then fell kind of flat here in Pittsburgh. There’s nothing we can do about this. You move forward.”
True, you need to move forward. But there is definitely something you can do about it. You get angry. You show the fans that you take it as personally as they do.
Look, these guys are definitely trying. Some are taking extra batting practice, some are taking extra fielding practice, some are throwing extra bullpen sessions. But the game is more than just practicing what you do. It’s a frame of mind too. Wright’s comments showed the frame of mind of someone who has lost and needed to answer questions about it. Beltran’s comment showed the frame of mind of someone who has lost but hates losing and wants his teammates to hate it as much as he does. It’s nice to see some vocal leadership (Beltran) instead of just a spokesperson (Wright).
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Putz Seeing Doctor Tomorrow (It’s About Time)
After stinking up the joint again today J.J. Putz will see a doctor about his elbow tomorrow and the possibility of surgery looms. I have to wonder why it took so long. Putz is a gamer and not likely to admit to an injury or limit himself because of one. Did the front office just wait for him to finally admit that he was hurt?
This has been an issue for the Mets since Omar Minaya took over as general manager and has to end. A professional baseball player wants to be out there everyday. Those who aren’t out the everyday want to be out there whenever they’re called upon. Most will not easily come out of a game or sit because of an injury. Sometimes they need that decision to be made for them. This (and last years mishandling of post concussion Ryan Church) are prime examples of this. By waiting for the player you’re only going to cost you team games. Very frustrating.
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Today’s Lineup Vs. Pirates 6/4/2009
Today’s lineup will be the same that was posted for last night’s game before the rainout.
| # | Name | Position | ||||
| 3 | Alex Cora | SS | ||||
| 1 | Luis Castillo | 2B | ||||
| 15 | Carlos Beltran | CF | ||||
| 10 | Gary Sheffield | RF | ||||
| 5 | David Wright | 3B | ||||
| 28 | Daniel Murphy | 1B | ||||
| 26 | Fernando Martinez | LF | ||||
| 9 | Omir Santos | C | ||||
| 34 | Mike Pelfrey | P | ||||
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Poll: Redding or Glavine?
The Braves unceremoniously released Tom Glavine yesterday after he made a good rehab start. The move seemed odd when it was first announced but made more sense when the Braves announced the acquisition of Nate McLouth in a trade for three prospects.
Mets fans immediately began wondering if the team would be better off signing Glavine and inserting him into the rotation slot currently occupied by Tim Redding. What do you think? Answer the poll in the sidebar at the right.
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Good News and Bad News
Yesterday was a real good news, bad news type of day for the Mets.
Good – Last night’s game was rained out giving the Mets an extra day to regroup from two truly bad losses.
Bad – Since this was scheduled to be the Mets only trip to Pittsburgh this year they will have to make a trip on July 2 to play only 1 game against the Pirates to make it up.
Good – The Pirates traded Nate McLouth so the Mets won’t have to pitch to him in today’s series finale.
Bad – McLouth was traded to the Braves (for three prospects) so the Mets will have to oppose him several more times this year.
Good – Carlos Beltran appeared to be over the stomach bug that kept him out the last several games. He was even in the starting lineup last night.
Bad – Jose Reyes was pulled from a rehab game game yesterday. He supposedly felt pain in his knee and his return has been pushed back indefinitely.
Good -Last night’s rainout causes the pitching rotation to change meaning Johan Santana will start against both the Phillies and Yankees.
Bad – The J.J. Putz situation has gotten so bad that he has officially been moved out of the 8th inning spot and made a long reliever.
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