Notes: Bell used to ups and downs

07/19/2006
CINCINNATI -- It's unknown whether reliever Heath Bell ever actually unpacks his suitcase.
The way Bell's moved up and down between New York and the Minor Leagues this season, it wouldn't be surprising if he lived out of it.
The Mets recalled Bell from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday after optioning Henry Owens to Double-A Binghamton. This will be Bell's third stint with the big-league club this season.
"I feel like I'm back where I belong," Bell said. "I went down [to Triple-A] because I'm the only one with an option, so unfortunately, I was the guy to get sent down."
The 29-year-old right-hander has made 15 appearances with the Mets but has yet to factor in a decision. He has compiled a 3.52 ERA with 21 strikeouts and nine walks in 23 innings pitched.
Bell acknowledges that while it's frustrating to be constantly bouncing back and forth, it's just part of the business.
"The last two years, I've been going up and down, and I understand that I'm the guy with options," he said. "And even though I don't like it, it's going to happen, and I'm just going to have to deal with it."
Beltran better: Center fielder Carlos Beltran, who left Saturday's game with soreness in his right knee, has played well as of late, despite not being 100 percent.
Beltran is batting .400 (3-for-8) with two homers and nine RBIs in his last two games.
"[The knee's] still bothering me," Beltran said after Tuesday's game. "The doctor in Chicago saw me, and he said the patella tendon is still inflamed a little bit. But with pills, it's supposed to get better. So [I've been] taking pills for the last four or five days, and I've got five more days to go."
The two grand slams he's hit in the past two games wouldn't suggest that anything is wrong, but with the help of the anti-inflammatories, he has been able to play through the pain.
"I'm just hoping to get better every day," he said. "The thing that bothers me the most is when I play defense, when I try to cut the ball in the outfield, stop and throw it back [in]. That's when it hurts the most."
Pedro pitches: Pedro Martinez threw a 60-pitch session in the bullpen on Wednesday.
The veteran right-hander, sidelined because of illness and inflammation in his right hip, is expected to throw in a simulated game before returning to the starting rotation, which is expected to happen sometime next week.
Maine man: After making an appearance out of the bullpen, John Maine will have another chance to earn his first win in the Majors when he makes his return to the starting rotation.
Maine will get the start on Saturday against the Astros in the second game of a three-game series. He is 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA in three starts.
"I'd like to be able to get first-pitch strikes, not throw so many pitches to guys," Maine said. "Each start has been improvement on the last. [So] hopefully, [I'll] go out there and do well."
The 24-year-old is in his first year with New York. He has been averaging 8.47 strikeouts per nine innings but has been hurt by the big inning.
"I'm getting a little more comfortable," he said of his time up in the Majors. "A couple of mistakes here or there are really what hurt me. If I can eliminate those big innings, I'll be OK."
"He's been pitching pretty well for us," manager Willie Randolph said. "He's shown us some good stuff, but he's just had that inning where he kind of hits that wall. So hopefully, he can get past that."
Minor matter: The Mets acquired Minor League second baseman Ruben Gotay from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in exchange for Minor League infielder Jeff Keppinger.
Both players will be assigned to their respective team's Triple-A affiliates: Gotay will join Norfolk, of the International League, and Keppinger will be assigned to Omaha, of the Pacific Coast League.
Gotay, a 23-year-old switch-hitter, batted .264 with nine homers, 43 RBIs, 16 doubles and seven stolen bases in 87 games for Omaha.
Keppinger played in 33 games with the Mets in 2004. He batted .284, with three home runs and nine RBIs. In 86 games with Norfolk this season, the 26-year-old batted .299 with two homers and 26 RBIs.

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Rain puts damper on Mets' victory plans

07/20/2006
CINCINNATI -- With an early, 4-0 lead, and Steve Trachsel throwing well, the Mets looked to come out of a two-hour-and-23-minute rain delay on fire.
Instead they just got all wet.
New York managed only two hits over the last seven innings, and the bullpen let the game get away in the eighth, falling to the Reds, 7-4, on Wednesday night before 26,300 at Great American Ball Park.
"The rain delay really killed the whole momentum in the game," manager Willie Randolph said. "Getting out 4-0 like that [with] Trachs throwing pretty well. After the delay, we got two hits. I think, more than anything, the delay just kind of took us out of our rhythm."
Trachsel looked sharp early, retiring four of the first five hitters he faced. Then the heavens opened, and play didn't continue until nearly two and a half hours later.
At that point the veteran starter had only thrown 21 pitches, and returned to the mound with one out and a runner on first. He lasted just two more innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks.
Though he stayed loose and tried to maintain his mental focus during the storm, the right-hander was not the same after play resumed.
"Staying loose wasn't a problem," Trachsel said. "I felt fine, everything was working. The hard part [was trying] to stay focused. I spent two hours thinking about the first pitch to Brandon Phillips with a man on first."
"Trachsel was throwing really well the first four or five hitters," Reds third baseman Rich Aurilia said. "Then he came back after the delay and didn't have the command he had early. We took advantage of that."
Something about Trachsel on the mound seems to inspire bad weather. Wednesday's stoppage was the fifth time this season that inclement weather has either halted or delayed his outing.
"I went 12 years without having one ever, at least that I can remember," Trachsel said. "I would love to go the rest of the year without one, that's for sure."
The decision to leave Trachsel in the game rather than automatically turn to the bullpen was based largely on Trachsel's low pitch count and how he felt.
"He only had 21 pitches, so he felt good [and] stayed loose during the break," Randolph said. "He wanted to go back out, he wanted the ball."
Before the rain hit, the Mets appeared to be well on their way to a third consecutive victory. Two-run singles by David Wright in the first and Jose Reyes in the second had staked New York to a 4-0 lead against Reds starter Aaron Harang.
Reds manager Jerry Narron turned to his bullpen after Harang had thrown 51 pitches through the first two innings.
But a single by Reyes and a Carlos Delgado double were all the offense could muster against a Reds bullpen that came into the contest with a 5.20 ERA, the worst in the National League.
"Bullpens go through ups and downs," Randolph said. "Just because they've struggled doesn't mean they're going to struggle all the time. They came in [and] did their job tonight."
The Mets bullpen, however, didn't do its job.
Darren Oliver gave up a solo home run to Aurilia in the fifth that tied the game at 4.
In the eighth, Scott Hatteberg singled, and Royce Clayton reached on a fielder's choice to put runners at the corners with one out. Duaner Sanchez went to a 3-0 count on Jason LaRue before the Reds catcher smacked a fastball into the left-field corner for the go-ahead two-run double.
"There's nothing you can do about it," Sanchez said. "Is that the result I wanted? No, definitely not. But I can't fix it [now]. [I'll] just come tomorrow and [pitch] better."

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Notes: Pedro 'sharp' in 'pen session

07/20/2006
CINCINNATI -- To gain the three pounds he lost from the illness he has battled the past few weeks, Pedro Martinez has put himself on a different sort of eating regimen.
"Lots of ice cream," Martinez said, laughing. "It's the Julio Franco diet."
The Mets right-hander has been battling sickness and right hip inflammation all month, but appears to be on the mend.
Martinez threw a 60-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday, his second since going to a Chicago hospital on Friday complaining of a high fever. His recovery schedule has been to rest two days between each bullpen session.
The right-hander reported being "a little sore" on Thursday.
"He was sharp," pitching coach Rick Peterson said of Martinez's performance. "He was Pedro."
Martinez is scheduled to throw 60-80 pitches in a simulated game on Saturday. If all goes well, he could start in Atlanta on July 28 or 29.
"Rick has a schedule," Martinez said. "[I'm] just sitting down and doing what I have to do."
Batting bits: Carlos Delgado is one Met who will be thankful to see the current seven-game road trip come to an end.
Entering Thursday's game, the Mets first baseman was batting just .190 (4-for-21) with two doubles and one RBI through the first six games.
However, Delgado did reach a milestone on Wednesday. His ground-rule double in the eighth inning was the 400th double of his career.
"Anytime you get a hit, you feel good, especially when you're not swinging the bat good," Delgado said. "Hopefully I can take that into [Thursday's] game."
As with many hitters mired in a slump, Delgado knows he just has to remain patient to regain his swing.
"[There's] too much movement, so I've got to slow everything down," Delgado said.
Lineup changes: Mets manager Willie Randolph used a similar lineup for the series finale on Thursday, with a few minor changes.
Endy Chavez started in right field in place of Xavier Nady, and Ramon Castro spelled Paul Lo Duca behind the plate. The two positions were flip-flopped in the order, Nady hit second, and Castro batted eighth.
Down on the farm: Leading, 2-1, entering the eighth, Triple-A Norfolk allowed four runs in the inning as it fell to Indianapolis, 5-2, on Wednesday night.
Jorge Padilla hit a solo home run in the first for Double-A Binghamton, but it would not be enough as the Mets fell to Trenton on Wednesday afternoon, 4-3.
Philip Humber recorded nine strikeouts over five shutout innings as Class A St. Lucie downed visiting Lakeland, 4-1, on Wednesday.
Class A Brooklyn mustered just three hits off of Oneonta starter Matt O'Brien, who struck out four over seven innings of shutout ball to down the Cyclones, 6-0.
On deck: The Mets will send Orlando Hernandez to the mound when they return home to start a three-game series on Friday against the Astros at Shea Stadium. Houston will counter with right-hander Taylor Buchholz. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Chavez sends Mets past Reds in 10

07/20/2006
CINCINNATI -- The name Endy Chavez might not be a household one just yet.
But that could change if the young Venezuelan keeps contributing to the Mets like he has this season.
Chavez drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the 10th inning to lead the Mets past the Reds, 4-2, before 28,729 fans at Great American Ball Park on Thursday afternoon.
With one out, pinch-hitter Xavier Nady hit a bloop double into right field that fell in just in front of diving Reds right fielder Chris Denorfia. Two batters later, Chavez lined a double down the left-field line to score Nady and give the Mets the lead.
"I feel comfortable, because Willie's played me a lot," Chavez said. "I don't [spend] too much time [off] the field. I'm just trying to help the team anywhere in the outfield."
They would add an insurance run on a Carlos Beltran RBI double. Beltran's 79 RBIs tie him with Lee Mazzilli (1979) and Brian McRae (1998) for most single-season RBIs by a Mets center fielder.
On the six-game road trip, Chavez batted .333 (5-for-15) with two runs scored and three RBIs. For the season, he has batted .287 with a homer and 19 RBIs in spot duty.
"He's been tremendous," Mets manager Willie Randolph said of Chavez, whom the club signed in the offseason. "He's a tough out, and when he puts the ball in play, he can always use his speed. To me, he's one of the best fourth or fifth outfielders in the game."
"It was a tough decision for me," Chavez said of choosing between the Orioles and the Mets. "The chance to play a little bit more was here, [and] so far, so good."
Chavez's heroics ended an afternoon in which both teams squandered numerous opportunities.
The only Mets offense for the first nine innings came on solo homers by Cliff Floyd and Carlos Delgado in the second and fourth innings, respectively. Both blasts were hit into the first few rows in right field on 1-2 pitches from Reds starter Bronson Arroyo.
For Delgado, it was his 23rd home run of the season, and first since June 28.
Floyd appears to be breaking out of his early-season slump. The left fielder is batting .352 (12-for-24) with four homers and 14 RBIs in his last 10 games.
Meanwhile, starter Tom Glavine surrendered nine runs and walked four, yet only allowed two runs, as he and the bullpen combined to strand 12 Cincinnati runners.
The veteran lefty was shaky at times, but made pitches and plays when he had to. Glavine did not earn a decision after he left with the game tied at 2. Reliever Chad Bradford entered with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh. He recorded a strikeout and a lineout to hold the Reds scoreless.
"Today, I felt good about my stuff," Glavine said. "It's just trying to get over the hump a little bit, to get to a point where I can stay in there and get a decision and win a game."
"He's picked me up a number of times," Glavine said of Bradford. "He's been solid for us ... he's kind of been the unsung hero out there for that bullpen."
Glavine helped himself in the sixth, when he escaped a jam with runners at second and third and no outs. He fielded two ground balls cleanly, throwing both runners out to help kill a potential rally.
With the victory, the Mets took two of three from the Reds, and won the season series, 4-3.
"It's nice to win the ballgame and get that two out of three," Randolph said. "Makes your plane ride a little bit sweeter going home."
The Mets ended their six-game road trip with a 4-2 record, and now head back to New York to begin a six-game homestand.
"It was a great road trip," Mets second baseman Jose Valentin said. "We won both series, [and] that's the way you want to start the second half."

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Mets pitching in to make ace comfy

03/08/2006
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Here's the latest dirt on Pedro Martinez and his tortured toe.
Perceived as the difference between the Mets winning a World Series championship in 2006 and not, Martinez stood on an auxiliary pitcher's mound at the club's Spring Training complex, dragging his spikes across the area in front of the rubber as 10 a.m. ET Wednesday came and went.
By 11, a force far greater than even the purposefully pawing Martinez was in the same location, doing the same work, tilling the baked clay that had made the mound harder than hitting Tom Seaver in twilight.
The Mets may not move heaven and earth to satisfy Martinez. But they will move earth and do so with a sense or urgency.
No sooner had Martinez disappeared into the clubhouse than a crew of five groundskeepers attacked with shovels, rakes and implements of destruction in an effort to make life easier for the ace's persnickety piggy.
It was another part of what was a pretty good day for the pitcher who still hasn't abandoned hope of being on Shea Stadium's presumably softer mound April 3 when the games count.
One day after Willie Randolph suggested Martinez needed to "speed up his progress," the pitcher did. New York's ace produced positives and smiles. Neither had been in abundance on Monday, the previous time he threw. He called his Wednesday "a very progressive day" and said "I'm still on track" as far as Opening Day. And he acknowledged Tom Glavine's need to know if the schedule changes.
After a few minutes of catch, Martinez threw 62 pitches from the granite-like bump -- and he did so without gelliin'. No gel packs were in his right shoe. The location of his pitches was more precise.
"I flipped a couple of changeups," he said. "Maybe [I will throw] breaking balls next time."
A batting practice session remains unscheduled and pitching in a game comes after that. But after not throwing from a mound Monday and increasing his workload Wednesday, it was easier to the Mets to feel encouraged -- or less discouraged.
Martinez walked off saying, "No panic, no panic" after providing an update.
He had removed the pads before he threw so he could gain a greater sense of how his violent foot twisting and dragging affects his large right toe.
"I know where I'm hitting now," he said. Recalling the pain caused, he admonished himself: "I should not take the gel pads off."
But he said he had done so and also increased his workload not because of urgency but because he felt better -- apositive development for sure.
The mound he had thrown from is one of six that are connected. Each was equally hard as the crew discovered after the rubbers were removed and the larger tiller began its work. The mounds were watered before the process began, but the water was hardly absorbed. Florida sun bakes the clay, and small burrs that appear and feel like stones are formed.
Maybe it won't be so hard for him the next time.

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Mets erupt early in big win

03/08/2006
Indians at the plate: Jhonny Peralta notched the Tribe's first hit of the game in the third inning, when he laced a double to right field off Yusaka Iriki, scoring Brandon Phillips from first. Other than that, the regulars in the lineup were kept pretty quiet on this sunny day at Chain of Lakes Park.
Mets at the plate: The Mets had an answer to everything Paul Byrd floated their way. Todd Self had an RBI double and Chris Woodward had an RBI single in the first. In the second inning, the Mets batted around, as Sandy Martinez led off with a home run, Anderson Hernandez had an RBI single, Jeff Keppinger hit an RBI double and Lastings Milledge drew a walk with the bases loaded.
Indians on the mound: Byrd had trouble getting his fastball by the Mets, who pounded him for seven runs on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings. Non-roster invite Ben Howard pitched well in relief of Byrd, and Bob Wickman and Guillermo Mota each pitched a scoreless inning. Prospect Fausto Carmona looked pretty strong in pitching three scoreless innings.
Mets on the mound: Iriki had the Indians frustrated in his first two innings of work. He walked three batters in three innings, but his only costly mistake came when he hung a breaking ball to Peralta, who lined it for an RBI double to left. Juan Perez held the Indians scoreless for two innings of relief.

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/

Notes: Glavine's schedule altered

03/09/2006
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Tom Glavine merely shrugged. The assignment that may become his -- starting the Mets' first game on April 3 at Shea Stadium -- is not one he takes lightly.
He saw what an Opening Day loss can do last year and in 2003. And for his own personal reasons, he'd prefer to begin the season successfully. But it is hardly a daunting task for a two-time Cy Young Award winner who has won at least 20 games in a season five times in his career.
So when the Mets altered Glavine's work schedule so that he might be in line to start Opening Day -- in case Pedro Martinez can't -- he accepted it and moved on.
"They realized I needed to know," he said. "It's better this way, just in case."
So rather than start Saturday against the Marlins, Glavine makes his next Spring Training appearance Tuesday against the Orioles. His subsequent start comes after five days free of pitching, rather than the customary four. He will throw two sides sessions between starts.
Ace absent from camp: Martinez was not scheduled to throw Friday, and chances are he won't be in camp anyway. Another day off, his third of the spring, was approved for the Mets pitcher. The club explained that it was aware of Martinez's need for time away, that the need is ongoing and that all members of the club's hierarchy are aware of it. Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said the reason for this absence and the second are related. He didn't identify the reason.
The X-factor: Xavier Nady, who strained his left hamstring on Wednesday, played seven innings and produced one hit during three at-bats in the Mets' 3-2 loss to the Astros in Kissimmee on Thursday. He clearly favored the leg as he ran out a double-play ground ball in the sixth inning, but said he merely was being careful.
Nady has seven hits and seven RBIs in 15 at-bats.
Making an impression: After praising the work of right-handed rookie Brian Bannister, who allowed one hit while striking out three batters over three scoreless on Thursday, pitching coach Rick Peterson was asked whether there was anything about Bannister he didn't like.
Said Peterson: "I haven't seen his photography."
Manager Willie Randolph acknowledged he wouldn't rule out Bannister as a potential member of the bullpen, but everyone from Fred Wilpon to Bannister regards him as a starter. He is most likely the pitcher to leave the Minor Leagues this season if and when a starter is needed in the big leagues.
Tickets: The Mets announced single-game tickets for Opening Day, the May series against the Yankees and the six-game Family Pack are sold out. Two other Six Packs -- the Pedro Pack, featuring tickets to Opening Day (April 3), Merengue Night (July 21) and Hispanic Heritage Night (Aug. 25) and the '86 Pack, which includes tickets to the Aug. 19 on-field reunion of members of the 1986 World Series champion Mets -- are nearly sellouts, too.
Season tickets, ticket plans, six packs and single-game tickets for the 2006 season have exceeded 1.75 million sold and are 25 percent ahead of the pace of last year. Those purchasing season tickets and ticket plans will have postseason ticket purchase options. Incumbent season-ticket holders will have priority in purchasing season tickets in the Mets' new stadium, scheduled to open in 2009.

Source: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/