Post by Fish Troll on Apr 30, 2007 22:02:35 GMT -5
Notes: Valentin joins El Duque on DL
Second baseman, off to good start, has partially torn ACL
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- First they're hot, then they're hurt.
The Mets received a double dose of bad news Monday, after injuries to both starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez and second baseman Jose Valentin forced the team to place two of its most productive players on the 15-day disabled list. The duo was replaced on the roster by starter Chan Ho Park and infielder Ruben Gotay.
Hernandez had been scheduled to start Monday night's game against the Marlins, but he was scratched after waking up Sunday morning with bursitis in his right shoulder. The move comes retroactive to his last start, and Mets general manager Omar Minaya said he expects El Duque to come off the DL when he is eligible on May 11.
"I feel a little pain, a little sore," Hernandez said. "I'm OK. I need to rest it, but I don't know the future."
El Duque was replaced in the rotation -- at least for now -- by Park, who had been scheduled to start Monday for Triple-A New Orleans. Park was 3-1 with a 7.29 ERA in four starts with the Zephyrs, and got the nod because it was his regular day to pitch. In 14 Major League seasons, Park is 113-87 with a 4.87 ERA.
The Mets also placed Valentin on the disabled list with a partial tear of the ACL ligament of his right knee. The injury occurred in Saturday's game against the Nationals, and Minaya said he expects it to sideline his second baseman for two to four weeks.
"I'm not going to be crazy to try to work too much, try to come back earlier and then something worse happens," Valentin said. "I'm going to take my time, whatever it takes. The bottom line is that I'll be back."
Valentin's replacement, Gotay, was hitting .256 with 13 RBIs in 23 games for New Orleans, after hitting .227 in 282 at-bats with the Royals last season. Gotay will likely back up regular reserve Damion Easley, who was in the starting lineup Monday.
The injuries couldn't have come at a worse time for either player. El Duque was coming off his two best starts of the year, upping his record to 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA. And Valentin was a spark at the bottom of the lineup, batting .279 with 13 RBIs.
Speculating on Sosa: Park's insertion into the rotation might seem strange at first glance, after he posted bloated ERAs both in Triple-A and Spring Training. But the most logical candidate to replace Hernandez, Jorge Sosa, was unavailable after pitching Sunday for New Orleans. Sosa is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA for the Zephyrs.
Both Minaya and manager Willie Randolph said that they would reevaluate the situation after Park's start, at which point they would decide whether Park, Sosa, or another pitcher would take El Duque's next turn in the rotation.
"We've got a nice rotation down there," Randolph said. "Sosa's been throwing the ball well. He was the guy that was available, but he's experienced and he's got good stuff, and he's been there. He belongs in the big leagues."
Minaya might also consider Philip Humber and Jason Vargas as potential plugs for the rotation, though Sosa's hot start makes him the heavy favorite for a promotion - especially if Tuesday's starter, Mike Pelfrey, continues to struggle.
Valentin bracing himself: Valentin was walking around without pain Monday, showing off the soft knee brace that he will wear for the remainder of the season once he returns.
It's an added precaution for Valentin, who suffered an identical injury in 2005 with the Dodgers. The second baseman wore a more restricting brace after that injury, finally shedding it at the beginning of last season.
"It wasn't fun at all," Valentin said of the brace. "It took a lot away from my game."
And though he's chosen to rehab now so that he can play out the season, he has not ruled out surgery to fix the problem for good this winter.
"I will take my chances, play without surgery," Valentin said. "And after we celebrate the parade after the World Series, the next day after the parade, I can just go have surgery."
This date in Mets history: May 1: Mets starter Pete Falcone struck out Lonnie Smith, Pete Rose, Garry Maddox, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone, the first six Phillies, on this date in 1980. He struck out two more batters in seven innings and emerged as the losing pitcher in the Mets' 2-1 loss at Shea Stadium. ... Four years later on this date, the Mets scored seven runs in the sixth inning -- two coming on a home run by Keith Hernandez -- and beat the Cubs, 8-1, at Shea. Dwight Gooden gained the first of his 28 career victories against the Cubs. He lost merely four of his 39 career starts against them.
Four Mets hit home runs and Gooden pitched a four-hit, one-walk complete game in an 11-0 Mets victory against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium on this date in 1988. ... Winning pitcher Derek Lilliquist hit home runs in the third and fifth innings against Ron Darling in the Braves' 5-2 victory against the Mets in Atlanta on this date in 1990. ... A year later, Vince Coleman drew the ire of his Mets teammates by not moving to third base on a ground ball to second, and then stealing third base instead. Coleman asked, "What's the difference?"
Coming up: Rookie Mike Pelfrey takes the hill for the Mets on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, looking to rebound from a difficult three-inning outing last week. He'll start opposite Ricky Nolasco, who has been sidelined since April 7 with right elbow inflammation.
Anthony DiComo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Second baseman, off to good start, has partially torn ACL
By Anthony DiComo / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- First they're hot, then they're hurt.
The Mets received a double dose of bad news Monday, after injuries to both starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez and second baseman Jose Valentin forced the team to place two of its most productive players on the 15-day disabled list. The duo was replaced on the roster by starter Chan Ho Park and infielder Ruben Gotay.
Hernandez had been scheduled to start Monday night's game against the Marlins, but he was scratched after waking up Sunday morning with bursitis in his right shoulder. The move comes retroactive to his last start, and Mets general manager Omar Minaya said he expects El Duque to come off the DL when he is eligible on May 11.
"I feel a little pain, a little sore," Hernandez said. "I'm OK. I need to rest it, but I don't know the future."
El Duque was replaced in the rotation -- at least for now -- by Park, who had been scheduled to start Monday for Triple-A New Orleans. Park was 3-1 with a 7.29 ERA in four starts with the Zephyrs, and got the nod because it was his regular day to pitch. In 14 Major League seasons, Park is 113-87 with a 4.87 ERA.
The Mets also placed Valentin on the disabled list with a partial tear of the ACL ligament of his right knee. The injury occurred in Saturday's game against the Nationals, and Minaya said he expects it to sideline his second baseman for two to four weeks.
"I'm not going to be crazy to try to work too much, try to come back earlier and then something worse happens," Valentin said. "I'm going to take my time, whatever it takes. The bottom line is that I'll be back."
Valentin's replacement, Gotay, was hitting .256 with 13 RBIs in 23 games for New Orleans, after hitting .227 in 282 at-bats with the Royals last season. Gotay will likely back up regular reserve Damion Easley, who was in the starting lineup Monday.
The injuries couldn't have come at a worse time for either player. El Duque was coming off his two best starts of the year, upping his record to 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA. And Valentin was a spark at the bottom of the lineup, batting .279 with 13 RBIs.
Speculating on Sosa: Park's insertion into the rotation might seem strange at first glance, after he posted bloated ERAs both in Triple-A and Spring Training. But the most logical candidate to replace Hernandez, Jorge Sosa, was unavailable after pitching Sunday for New Orleans. Sosa is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA for the Zephyrs.
Both Minaya and manager Willie Randolph said that they would reevaluate the situation after Park's start, at which point they would decide whether Park, Sosa, or another pitcher would take El Duque's next turn in the rotation.
"We've got a nice rotation down there," Randolph said. "Sosa's been throwing the ball well. He was the guy that was available, but he's experienced and he's got good stuff, and he's been there. He belongs in the big leagues."
Minaya might also consider Philip Humber and Jason Vargas as potential plugs for the rotation, though Sosa's hot start makes him the heavy favorite for a promotion - especially if Tuesday's starter, Mike Pelfrey, continues to struggle.
Valentin bracing himself: Valentin was walking around without pain Monday, showing off the soft knee brace that he will wear for the remainder of the season once he returns.
It's an added precaution for Valentin, who suffered an identical injury in 2005 with the Dodgers. The second baseman wore a more restricting brace after that injury, finally shedding it at the beginning of last season.
"It wasn't fun at all," Valentin said of the brace. "It took a lot away from my game."
And though he's chosen to rehab now so that he can play out the season, he has not ruled out surgery to fix the problem for good this winter.
"I will take my chances, play without surgery," Valentin said. "And after we celebrate the parade after the World Series, the next day after the parade, I can just go have surgery."
This date in Mets history: May 1: Mets starter Pete Falcone struck out Lonnie Smith, Pete Rose, Garry Maddox, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone, the first six Phillies, on this date in 1980. He struck out two more batters in seven innings and emerged as the losing pitcher in the Mets' 2-1 loss at Shea Stadium. ... Four years later on this date, the Mets scored seven runs in the sixth inning -- two coming on a home run by Keith Hernandez -- and beat the Cubs, 8-1, at Shea. Dwight Gooden gained the first of his 28 career victories against the Cubs. He lost merely four of his 39 career starts against them.
Four Mets hit home runs and Gooden pitched a four-hit, one-walk complete game in an 11-0 Mets victory against the Reds at Riverfront Stadium on this date in 1988. ... Winning pitcher Derek Lilliquist hit home runs in the third and fifth innings against Ron Darling in the Braves' 5-2 victory against the Mets in Atlanta on this date in 1990. ... A year later, Vince Coleman drew the ire of his Mets teammates by not moving to third base on a ground ball to second, and then stealing third base instead. Coleman asked, "What's the difference?"
Coming up: Rookie Mike Pelfrey takes the hill for the Mets on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, looking to rebound from a difficult three-inning outing last week. He'll start opposite Ricky Nolasco, who has been sidelined since April 7 with right elbow inflammation.
Anthony DiComo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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