Harvey Settles Down After Early Trouble, Mets Tie Miami 8-8
Harvey gave up a leadoff homerun to Marlins prospect Christian Yelich before settling down to strike out four in 2 2-3 innings, and the New York Mets and Miami tied 8-8 on Saturday.
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Harvey gave up a leadoff homerun to Marlins prospect Christian Yelich before settling down to strike out four in 2 2-3 innings, and the New York Mets and Miami tied 8-8 on Saturday.
Day 1 at Port St. Lucie kicked off with second baseman Daniel Murphy. General manager Sandy Alderson and starting pitcher Matt Harvey followed. Jon Niese, Zack Wheeler, David Wright, Terry Collins and Travis d'Arnaud were present as well.
Mets starter Jon Niese threw three scoreless innings in his major league exhibition debut. He had thrown two innings against the University of Michigan earlier this week. Niese gave up three hits, struck out three and picked off a baserunner.
Welcome to a promising, yet uncomfortable, era of Mets baseball. While the manager has been a good soldier thus far during a rebuilding effort, it's fair to ask how far that loyalty extends.
Montero is not the only young arm drawing raves. Cory Mazzoni, the Mets' second-round pick in 2011 out of North Carolina State, has started camp with five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, no walks and three strikeouts.
No blocking the dish for the 24-year-old, who was described on the Mets' official website as a player that "relishes home-plate collisions."
According to John Harper of the New York Daily News, Collins "let loose with an expletive loud enough to turn heads all over the back fields" at the team's spring training complex.
The starters in the top five slots in the Cardinals' batting order combined to hit 5-for-10 with four doubles and seven RBIs, and St. Louis finished with 14 hits.
Wheeler would have faced former Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who he was traded for in 2011.
"What's next -- an Enron left-field pole?" Carton said. "Tyco right-field pole? Could you be stupider?"
Mejia required 30 pitches to get through his one inning and allowed five runs. The right-hander, battling for a spot on the roster, was making his first appearance of spring training.
Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy is feeling good about his health -- and the future in Flushing.
Gio Gonzalez wasn't sure how fans would treat him in his first outing since his name surfaced in reports about a clinic drawing scrutiny from Major League Baseball.
Harvey pitched his initial two innings of the spring against the Astros, concentrating on keeping his fastball down in the zone, and he thought d'Arnaud did an excellent job of helping him get strikes.
There's potential there. There's a chance. There's a job to be won for a player who was once a threatening major-league hitter -- and could be again. And with the current state of this outfield, that hope and belief is all that Mets fans have right now.
For some reason, the lords of Major League Baseball think the World Baseball Classic is important stuff. The negatives vastly outweigh the positives. But there's no going back.
Matt Harvey worked two innings in his spring debut for New York, giving up two hits including a home run to former Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez, and the Houston Astros scored late in a 7-7 tie Sunday.
Dillon Gee allowed one run in two innings in his first outing since having a blood clot removed from an artery in his throwing shoulder.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis led off the Mets' first inning with a single and Ruben Tejada followed by homering over the left-center field fence on a full count.
Former Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has been hired as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. The university in Fairfield, Conn., said Friday that Valentine's appointment will be formally announced next Tuesday.
"Delayed somewhat" means being pushed back to the March 10-15 range, which makes it highly doubtful that Santana could get enough work in to be ready by April 1.
Johan Santana will not make his first spring training appearance for the New York Mets this year until mid-March. Sandy Alderson said he didn't think Santana will miss the start of the regular season, but said it was a possibility.
Earlier this month, Fred Wilpon was bullish on the state of the team's finances, and said payroll should be able to climb to pre-Madoff heights.
Spring training provides the stuff that dreams are made of, whether you're a kid off the street taking his big shot, or a Grade-A prospect hoping to exceed your club's expectations and make the big leagues right out of camp.
The Mets couldn't help but rave about the ace up the 22-year-old right-hander's sleeve.
