Early Morning Madness: Tied for first place edition

Absolutely no one saw this coming. If you told me the Mets would rattle of 10 straight wins, and the tenth would see Johan Santana only last four innings, I would have told you to get away from me, you crazy human being.

Amazin'.

I've been wondering what the reaction is going to be once the Mets lose that fateful game. I'm sure, even though they will have won 10 or more in a row, fans will whine and complain about something and start demanding trades, cuts, and firings.

Just wait.

** * **

Yesterday, the Phillies traded for Joe Blanton from the A's.

I think Blanton will help them a bit, but it seems like a small patch to a much bigger hole. He is 5-12 on the year, with an ERA just below five (4.96). He is a good innings eater, going for 230 last season, but I think the Phillies are going to need more than that to hang tough.

** * **

It's time to put Luis Castillo, Orlando Hernandez, and Moises Alou in an air conditioned bus, send them down the coast, and have them placed into Del Boca Vista Retirement Facility.

Maybe the Mets could even buy them a Cadillac, a tip calculator, and one of those fancy pens that can write upside down.

And when they get there, each would have a card on the kitchen table of his new condo, signed "Love, Jerry...Manuel."

Shocker! El Duque's hurt again

Why do we even bother?

El Duque left his rehab start after one inning, giving up two runs and two hits.

Put a fork in him, he's d-o-n-e.

Early Morning Madness: Who is this man you call 'El Duque' edition

Hey...remember this guy? Well he's on the comeback trail.

That's right, Orlando Hernandez threw four innings of baseball in rookie league ball, allowing two runs (one earned). El Duque allowed four hits, walking one, and striking out six.

Honestly, I'm not even going to begin to remotely think about if he could ever be somewhat effective ever again. This is just a pinhole sized blip on the radar screen.

** * **

Is Pedro cooked? I don't think so.

Yes, he has struggled through his recent starts, but if you take away a shaky first inning last time around, he pitched pretty well. His start win interrupted by a rain delay, but Pedro Martinez manned up and came back out, pitching fairly well before allowing a solo home run.

Tonight should be interesting, especially because he's pitching in hitter friendly Citizen's Bank Park.

** * **

The Continuing Story of Ryan Church...continues.

Church was held out of the lineup for all 12 innings during yesterday's marathon game. Church was recovering from a migraine which forced him out of 8th inning of Saturday's game.

Hopefully (fingers crossed), it was really only a migraine and was only slightly related to the concussions, if at all. The team's dynamic is nowhere close to the same without his bat in the lineup.

I'll be monitoring this situation closely.

Remember me? The missing Mets

Have a good memory? See if you remember these Mets...

from left to right: Moises Alou, Orlando Hernandez, Matt Wise, Ambiorix Burgos, Angel Pagan

Honorable mention: Ryan Church, who returned to the lineup yesterday against the Yankees.

These five players have appeared in a combined 54 games for the New York Mets in 2008. Two of them have not appeared in any games...at any level.

Alou has played in 15 games for the team, and is looking to come off his third DL stint, possibly as early as this weekend. A habitual member of the DL and has appeared in only 102 games for the Mets in two years. Alou is often seen without batting gloves and may or may not be riding around in a Rascal Personal Scooter.

El Duque has appeared in a total of 47 games for the Mets since coming over in a trade from Arizona for Jorge Julio. He has not pitched at all, in any level of professional baseball in 2008 and has been in a protective boot for months. Look for the limp and/or high leg kick.

Wise came to the Mets as a free agent in before the '08 season. Two stops on the DL has limited his playing time to only eight games (seven innings) for the team, sporting a 6.43 ERA. He's lanky, and that's about all the info we have on him.

Burgos has only appeared in 17 games for the Mets since coming over on December 6, 2006 for Brian Bannister. Burgos is often seen wearing lots and lots of bling, if it has not already been stolen.

Pagan, who had a breakout spring training to catch on with the Alou-less Mets, registered 91 AB in 31 games for the team. He went down with a shoulder injury after making a spectacular diving grab into the stands on May 7th. He may need surgery, which would cost him significantly more time off. Pagan can be seen jumping into the stands and hitting one game winning hit for the team.

If seen, please call the New York Mets at 718-507-METS.

El Duque is bootless

I'm not sure if this even still counts as news, but Orlando Hernandez is now sans boot.

Um...yay? I've come to grips that I will either never see him in a Mets uniform (or any uniform for that matter) or at the very least, never see him pitch effectively again.

Aim low, I guess.

Injury updates: Pedro, Duque, Alou

David Lennon relays some injury updates for the three old men on the team.

Pedro Martinez: Will begin throwing, possibly withing a week. Could return in over two weeks.

Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it. We'll see Pedro at the end of May.

El Duque: Still in the boot, at least for the next two weeks. The end is near.

Bye Duque. It's time to hang 'em up.

Moises Alou: Went 2-7 in an extended spring game. Possibly back by Friday.

Goodbye Brady Clark. I can't wait to have Alou back. Maybe he'll kickstart this offense.

A question that will never be answered: El Duque's age

With Miguel Tejada recently revealing that he is actually three years older than he recently let on (33 rather than 31), the skeptic inside me wonders if El Duque will ever reveal his real age.

Maybe when he retires? I doubt it.

Rubin: Castillo, Duque, and Pagan updates

Adam Rubin: Luis Castillo is day to day, El Duque has been shut down with a tendon strain, and Angel Pagan is batting second in the order.

On Castillo, I think he'll recover quick, but I'm always optimistic about these type of things. He's a gamer, so if he can hobble out there and play, he will. Still think four years was too long for him, but he'll be a defensive replacement / platoon player very soon.

On Hernandez, is anyone really surprised? At this point he just needs to retire. He is done.

On Pagan, I like this move. I think Pagan should move here for the season. He puts real speed behind Jose Reyes which would move Castillo or Damion Easley to seventh or eighth. That might make the bottom of the lineup too weak though. Hmmm...

El Duque's first minor league start

El Duque made his first minor league start in his journey back to the major leagues.

He pitched five innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He allowed one home run, a solo shot in the third. Adam Rubin said, "I’m told El Duque had impressive offspeed pitches, but his fastball looked offspeed, too."

Hilarious and sad at the same time. Duque will have to be a crafty Jamie Moyer-esque pitcher for the rest of his career, painting the corners and keeping the hitters guessing. I'm not so sure he can do that.

El Duque to pitch in minor league game

Orlando Hernandez is slated to throw in a minor league game for the Mets class A St. Lucie team in it's opener on Thursday.

El Duque has been working out with the team in Miami since they arrived.

Hopefully, when April 13th rolls around and El Duque is eligible to come off the disabled list, he can come back to the Mets and preform, especially if Pedro Martinez is out for a significant amount of time. Hopefully.

Early indications

Today is the Mets final day to finalize their roster before they open the season against the Florida Marlins on Monday afternoon. It seems they are willing to wait right up until the 3 p.m. deadline to make their decisions.

Adam Rubin relays some things he's heard about the final spots that are still up for grabs:

Mets officials appeared to be leaning toward placing Orlando Hernandez on the DL to start the season, paving the way for Mike Pelfrey to make at least two starts

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Joe Smith also looked close to claiming the final spot in the bullpen, a vacancy created with Duaner Sanchez not yet ready for regular-season action.

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Fernando Tatis also seemed to hold a lead over Brady Clark for the final bench spot, but a team insider insisted Tatis — who had a .212 Grapefruit League average — was not a foregone conclusion to be on the roster.

Just to reiterate, I'm supporting Pelfrey (or even Nelson Figueroa), Smith and Clark for the final spots.

If the Mets take Pelfrey, he won't be able to work on his mechanics as much, as he will have to win the game he is in. If he waits and stays in minor league camp, the results don't matter, so he can stay in a game even if he's given up a few runs just to work on his pitches. What do the Mets have to lose if they pitch Figueroa? Nothing. Why not give him a shot?

Smith, who struggled mightily early in spring, has come on strong these last few weeks. Yesterday was a great game for him, when he came in with the bases loaded, and got Alexi Ramirez to strike out on three pitches. Inherited runners was a huge problem for Smith last year and if he can remedy that, it would be a huge accomplishment.

Again, I don't get why Tatis is so wonderful. Sure, he can play pretty much any position besides center field if need be, but he doesn't play any of them especially well. We already have two guys in Marlon Anderson and Damion Easley who can play the entire infield and two guys in Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan who can play the entire outfield. So why do we need a guy who can do all of those, but none well? Clark will be much more lasting and consistent, I feel, and that's why I want him to make the team.

It's a travel day for me, back down to New Jersey for a bit and then back to Quinnipiac tonight. I'll be back with a recap of the day and the finalized roster moves tonight. Enjoy your last day before the season begins!

Photo of the Day: El Duque

Orlando Hernandez seemingly locked up the fifth starter spot today with a five-inning, one run performance.

El Duque returned to his familiar high leg kick after spending most of spring working with a new delivery. As long as he can stay healthy and effective, I'll take it.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Duque's mechanics

I'm so confused.

After all the talk and work to get El Duque to change his delivery and his leg kick, he has apparently abandoned it and returned to his normal high kick.

This makes no sense. So was all of his spring training a sham to try and trick other teams?

He's held the O's to one hit through two innings, if that means anything to anyone. He's faced the minimum, inducing a double play ball after allowing his first hit.

Pelf vs. Duque, take 2

Here we go again...

The Mets will have Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey face off, again, tomorrow against the Orioles to see who might be best suited to assume the role of the fifth starter role.

This is insanity, and I hope if El Duque puts together one good start that he is automatically good enough to go for the season. I would much rather see Nelson Figueroa or Jorge Sosa take the spot while Pelfrey and El Duque get healthy and fine tune different aspects in their respective motions.

We shall see tomorrow.

Ayy! Numero cinco!

The 5th starter spot is still confusing as ever.

The Mets probably can't turn to Orlando Hernandez or Mike Pelfrey, because they're either injured and throwing like a little leaguer or not injured and throwing, well, just poorly.

Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa are the teams best options right now. Joe, my new blogging buddy over at Mets Today, does an excellent breakdown of the rest of the options for the 5th starter role.
Here is the Sosa and Figueroa blurbs:

Jorge Sosa
The slider machine likely is the de facto Mets #5 starter. Who knows, maybe he can recapture the magic that made him virtually unhittable in the first half of 2007.

Nelson Figueroa
Being the type who roots for the underdog, I’m hoping “Figgy” has a lights-out performance in the “Civil Rights Game” and earns a spot in the rotation.

I'd like to see "Figgy" get his chance, while Duque and Pelfrey spend time in minor league camp fine tuning and getting healthy.

Recently released Claudio Vargas should get a look-see from the Mets, as they now realize they might not have enough arms to go a full season.

I wouldn't mind taking him on board, as you can never have enough arms. The team sure has learned that so far.

Lesser of the two evils

As absolutely bad as Mike Pelfrey was (4 1-3 IP, 8 ER, 13 hits, 1 walk, 1 K), I still think he earned the spot in rotation over Orlando Hernandez, due to the rest of his spring and the ability to throw over 85 mph. Oh, and to stay healthy, of course.

El Duque only lasted 3 innings, allowing 5 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks, while striking out 1. El Duque topped out at 85 mph, and had to be pulled from the game before his slotted four innings. Eddie Kunz had to come out for the 4th because Pelfrey was not ready to come into the game as early as they needed him.

I am officially cutting all emotional ties to El Duque.

We have the best 1-4 starters in the league, and the biggest question mark in the 5th spot.

I'm penciling in Pelfrey as the 5th starter, but you never know...Nelson Figueroa could make a late spring push. Wouldn't that be nice?

Weather may be an issue

El Duque and Mike Pelfrey are set to square off against the St. Louis Cardinals today, as they battle for the 5th spot in the rotation. It is raining in Port St. Lucie right now, and looks like it's going to rain the rest of the day.

There was a comment from Matt Tracy on the last post that stated:

People still don't know what went on behind closed doors before duque's last start, so to already start assuming he is going to throw slow today is not a real good assumption.

Who knows, maybe he was told to slow it down the other day because of something to do with his routine, pitching schedule, whatever. Maybe they said since you are throwing a real game next, throw slow now and fast then? You never know.

Maybe if the Mets were just getting him back before a postseason start, I could see this. You know, trying to mask his ability and speed. But before a spring training start just doesn't make sense to me.

The coaching staff would want to evaluate El Duque as much as possible before giving him the green light to make his first spring training start, don't you think?

I think that El Duque and his career are running on fumes, trying anything to speak into the rotation. Today will be the tell all. Hopefully El Duque can prove me wrong and solidify the 5th spot, but I just don't see that happening.

Happy Easter to all those celebrate, and enjoy the game if you're able to catch it. I'll be back later with a game recap.

Tomorrow is D-Day

"Everything will be revealed tomorrow," said Willie Randolph.

Tomorrow, the Mets will have Orlando Hernandez take the mound for his first start in spring training. When El Duque's day is done, Mike Pelfrey will take over on the mound.

A lot of stock will be put into tomorrow's game and the 5th starter could be decided by tomorrows performances. Of course, for probably the most meaningful game of spring training, I'll be at Easter dinner.

I really don't think El Duque is going to have it in him. Velocity may not mean a lot to the staff and to Hernandez, but when hitters start tagging him for hits and runs, it will be a different story.

For absolutely no reason, Randolph also seems dead set on taking five pitchers to begin the season, even though the 5th spot isn't needed until halfway through April.

Pelfrey is still my top choice, even if he hasn't performed up to par so far this spring. I'll take health over a veteran presence any day.

Tomorrow, the 5th starter will probably be decided, and this blogger is pulling for Pelfrey.

Who do you prefer?

The 5th starter and the bullpen

According to Adam Rubin, and for no apparent reason, the Mets "appear to be leaning heavily toward carrying five starters from the beginning of the season, regardless of whether Orlando Hernandez is ready from the get-go."

Um, why? The team doesn't need a 5th starter until April 12, so why would you carry one? This would open a spot for a tandem of Duaner Sanchez and Steven Register to break with the team. This would give Duaner more time to work into going back-to-back days and possibly showcase Register to other teams, if he doesn't stick.

El Duque and Mike Pelfrey are slated to split the game on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

If it was up to me, I wouldn't take a 5th starter, see how those two pitch in simulated games in minor league camp, and make your decision from there.

Results of the sim-game

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

El Duque and Mike Pelfrey faced off in a simulated game today, and Duque did not look good.

I know there's all the talk about "not caring about velocity," but this is alarming. Duque apparently topped out at only 81 mph, and was consistent in the 70's. His changeup was all the way down in the upper 50's.

Is this slow-pitch softball? He's definitely in the age range. That's really just kind of sad for a major league pitcher to barely break 80. I honestly can't see him coming back, and if he does, I can't see him being that effective unless he continuously fools batters with his incredibly slow pitches where they will swing three times before the ball gets to the plate, as if out of some cartoon.

Pelfrey tossed 90 pitches, while El Duque threw 80. Hernandez was apparently "very happy" with his performance today, even though he got tagged for a few deep balls in his final inning. Brian Schneider caught Duque today, and should return to action tomorrow.

Ramon Castro caught Pelfrey today, and was "impressed by Pelfrey's ability to throw his slider and changeup behind in the count."

I still think this is Pelfrey's spot to lose. Duque just doesn't seem healthy enough, or have enough ability left in the tank to put together a good season.