Mets baseball blog

Perez shaky in Mets' spring opener

New York Mets pitcher Oliver Perez hit a Sports Illustrated photographer on a leg with one of his warmup pitches. His control improved, his results did not.

As for Perez, he is focusing on improving his mechanics and keeping his shoulder from flying open. He was 1-3 with a 6.38 ERA in seven regular-season starts last year with the Mets, who acquired him from Pittsburgh, and 3-13 with a 6.55 ERA in 22 major league starts overall. "I don't want too much pressure because I know what happened last year," Perez said. "I just have to learn and keep working." Continue

Pedro pace should be picking up

Pedro Martinez's throwing program could begin this weekend. Or, at the very least, a plan for when to begin picking up a ball should be devised by then. Team doctor David Altchek is expected to be in camp Friday, with one task to check on Martinez's surgically repaired right shoulder. Martinez is targeting a post-All-Star break return. Continue

Maine can show he's man

John Maine is supposed to be competing for a job in this year's rotation, but it would be a serious upset if he is not a part of it. Maine already has a locker in rotation row - right next to Tom Glavine - and they asked him to do a video shoot yesterday morning for Kid Fitness, a program featuring a costumed superhero who promotes children's health.

The video is scheduled to be shown on Shea's DiamondVision screen at some point during this season, and it would be awkward if Maine is at Triple-A New Orleans for the premiere. There's probably no need to worry. Maine is a favorite of pitching coach Rick Peterson, and after last year's breakout season, when he went 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA - and streak of 26 scoreless innings - he's in a good spot to repeat. Continue

Burgos is greeted as a Royal relief

For a team whose glaring need is starting pitching, the Mets' most notable trade of the winter seemed a curious one. In Brian Bannister, they gave up a young starter of some promise for a wild-thing reliever who couldn't hold the closer's job for the sad-sack Royals.

But then you see Ambiorix Burgos pop his fastball at 100 mph, and it's not hard to understand why Omar Minaya was willing to take a chance. "I was following him for two years," Minaya said yesterday, "because his stuff is electric. When you get a chance to acquire a power arm like that, you can't pass it up." Continue

Met's delivery is special

Lastings Milledge passed Joe Smith's locker yesterday afternoon, and tapped the reliever on the shoulder to offer congratulations. Facing the first batter in his first game of his first spring training, the sidearm-throwing Smith had struck out Milledge on three pitches - the final offering a nasty slider that appeared headed for Milledge's legs, until it veered late over the plate for a called strike. The righthander, who turns 23 in three weeks, then completed a 1-2-3 inning during a scoreless intrasquad game by following up the strikeout with groundouts.

"That's nasty stuff, man," Willie Randolph said. Smith may need a similar late break to crack the Mets' bullpen out of spring training, but Mets officials predict he'll make an impact in Flushing this season. Continue

Beltran benched with neck soreness

Carlos Beltran was originally in the lineup yesterday for the Mets' intrasquad game but was scratched due to a neck and right quad soreness. "Right now my neck feels sore, and my quad also feels sore. But it's nothing major," Beltran said, adding, "I'm not worried at all."

Beltran said he expected to play today in the Mets' first exhibition game of the spring. Meanwhile, Jose Valentin is also hurting. The second baseman said he twisted his right ankle on Monday during an intrasquad game. "It's a little sore," he said yesterday. Valentin didn't do anything outside yesterday. Asked if it would keep him out a couple of days, he replied, "Hopefully not, but I want to make sure I take it easy." Continue

Milledge throws & grows

The throw was a lightning bolt from right, a reminder that just because Lastings Milledge didn't live up to his phenom status last year, it doesn't mean he still can't be a star. By itself, Milledge's throw in yesterday's intrasquad game, which nailed Fernando Martinez trying to go from first to third on Shawn Green's single, was impressive enough. But perhaps more significantly, it was a payoff on the extra throwing work he's doing this spring, and perhaps a sign that he is growing up on and off the field.

Certainly Milledge is walking and talking as if he received the message from veteran teammates who thought he was too cocky for a rookie. Yesterday Milledge didn't blink at talk that he was immature last year. "At times I was, maybe," he admitted, "but all in all, being barely 21, playing in New York, I thought I handled myself well. It's all growing up, man. Continue

Delgado impresses with bat

The only sign of Carlos Delgado's history of elbow trouble was the large ice pack wrapped around his left arm after yesterday's intrasquad game. Otherwise, Delgado looked fine, launching a solo homer onto the grassy berm in rightfield and later slapping a single before coming out for pinch runner Mike Carp.

Delgado twice had surgery during the offseason, the first operation to repair a torn tendon in his left elbow and the other to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome affecting his right wrist. But neither appeared to bother him yesterday, even though Delgado put his health at "80 to 85 percent." "You just try to work through that," he said. "I don't anticipate having any problems going out there for Opening Day and being ready to go 100 percent." Continue

In first look, Burgos appears quite striking

Ambiorix Burgos had an electric fastball, and spotty control, with the Royals. But the Mets feel they have a diamond in the rough with the upper-90s throwing righthander, who was obtained in the offseason for Brian Bannister.

In an inning of work in yesterday's intrasquad game, Burgos began by striking out Shawn Green on three pitches, the final offering a diving split-finger fastball. Burgos allowed an unearned run because of a throwing error by Jose Reyes and left fielder Ben Johnson misplaying a potential flyout into a triple. Continue

Reyes not short on pop

Jose Reyes does not possess the intimidation factor of Carlos Delgado nor does he have the power numbers of Carlos Beltran. But the Mets' shortstop is grabbing plenty of attention with the added muscle he's flexing down here at spring training. And once the season begins, the heads turning will belong to opposing pitchers who don't respect his strength.

It hardly was unusual to see two of Willie Randolph's "big boys" go deep when Delgado and Beltran homered during Monday's intrasquad game at Tradition Field. That's what they get paid for. But Reyes, who developed into one of the game's most dangerous leadoff men last season, also took Jorge Vasquez over the rightfield wall, and don't be surprised if that starts happening more and more this year. Continue