Lucas Duda will not be making the trip to Lake Buena Vista where the Mets will take on the Braves later this afternoon. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Duda is suffering from back stiffness, and may miss a few games. The list of Mets that are ailing this spring continues to grow. Other players currently nursing injuries include: Andres Torres: Scratched from lineup with Right Hip Soreness, will miss a few days. Pedro Beato: Was removed [...]

Mike Pelfrey, armed with his new attitude, improved sinker and all his bravado, got his first start of the spring today against those pesky Miami Marlins. Here’s his pitching line… 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 HR, 0 K Don’t worry, it’s only March, but damn if it doesn’t feel like the same old, same old.  :-(

You can believe what you want about whether or not Johan Santana will make a triumphant return to the mound on Opening Day for the Mets, and you can hang on to your doubts that he’ll ever be what he once was. But Santana is tuning you out. He’s locked into his own plan and his own vision and whether you believe in him or not hardly matters to him because he believes in himself. [...]

The Mets received good and bad reviews from two pitchers who might have the highest expectations this season in Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey. Santana, recovering from shoulder surgery, threw in the bullpen today without discomfort and pronounced himself ready for his next start Sunday, when he’s scheduled to throw three innings against the Marlins. Santana was anxious to see how his shoulder would respond after Tuesday’s start. “I was able to throw my bullpen [...]

An MRI this morning revealed that reliever Pedro Beato has right rotator cuff inflammation, but no structural damage in his right shoulder. A team spokesman said that he will begin light throwing as early as Friday. This is good news of course and a couple of days of rest should do the trick. Beato was removed from Tuesday’s game against the Cardinals with stiffness in his right shoulder. Original Post 3/7 Pedro Beato will have an MRI on [...]

There’s been a lot of talk about the Miami Marlins all offseason, so I’ll keep the trend going. Let me start off by saying, I downright love the “Home Run Apple.” Whether it’s the old one outside Citi Field or the new one inside the stadium, the Home Run Apple is a Mets and baseball icon. In addition to bringing multiple high-profile free agents including Jose Reyes, the Marlins have made headlines with their brand [...]

I had the pleasure of speaking by phone yesterday with New York Mets, 2011 7th round draft choice, minor league first-baseman Cole Frenzel. I was able to throw a great many questions Cole’s way, and he fielded them all sure-handedly, without so much as a bobble. Cole told me he had left the chilly clime of his native North Dakota, and headed for the sunshine of Arizona, in order to get a little warm weather hitting [...]

One of my favorite web-treks each morning is to stop by MMO to read what my fellow bloggers have been opining about and to see how many times I got called out by the lunatic fringe in the comment threads of my own posts. I look at those as my badges of honor. After that, it’s a non-stop trip to Adam Rubin’s blog to read his Mets Morning Briefing. That’s where you’ll find the best [...]

Joel Sherman of the Post wrote that there is a “universal belief within the hierarchy” that Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia are going to end up as late-game relievers. Additionally, the Mets have told both Familia and Matt Harvey that they are going to the minors to begin the season. Both of them seemed to suffer from a case of the jitters during their first starts of the spring. I think both of them were [...]

It was a great day for Jon Niese and the rest of the Mets this afternoon at Digital Domain Park, as they blanked the Florida Marlins 7-0. Niese faced seven batters in his two innings of work, striking out two and walking one while throwing 19 of 31 pitches for strikes. Niese has been working on developing a changeup this offseason and he really had it working today. Mets manager Terry Collins raved about his performance. [...]

Miami Marlins president David Samson is a creep. Sorry if that comes off as too judgmental, but it happens to be the truth. In a speech he gave to local Miami business leaders today, Samson gloated about his success in duping Miami for the taxpayer money that resulted in the sweetheart deal to build his team’s new stadium. He then mocked the citizens of Miami and suggested they were stupid for footing the bill and enriching [...]