According Andy Martino of the Daily News, manager Terry Collins does not believe Johan Santana will open the season on the disabled list, but he’s not yet decided if Santana will be his Opening Day starter.

“I have not decided who is pitching Opening Day. Now, my point is, right now, as we get through spring training, we may have to make adjustments. If Johan is, ‘Hey, look, I’ll be ready,’ but maybe he needs to pitch game two or game three or game four, we will adjust.”

I don’t think it really matters if he starts the first game of the season or the third. What matters most is 1. Can he make 25 or more starts in 2012, and 2. Will he come close to being the pitcher he was before his shoulder surgery. – JD

Original Post 12:00 AM

Johan Santana got roughed up a bit by the Detroit Tigers yesterday, but where Johan is concerned all that matters is the forward progress, and there was plenty to be encouraged about.

Originally scheduled to throw 60 pitches, Santana ended up throwing 65 pitches over two and two-thirds innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. He had some control issues, but it was mostly when he threw his changeup which he’s still trying to refine. Syill, it was his longest outing of the spring and he felt fine afterwards.

“It is a process, and I am building up,” Santana said. “These guys were swinging and challenging me, and I was trying to adjust.”

His fastball sat mostly around 88-90 mph, but he did hit 92 mph on a couple of occasions. “As long as I feel good when I am throwing my fastballs, that is what I am looking for,” he said.

All in all, it was another huge step forward for the Mets ace who continues to improve every time he takes the mound this spring.

“I had to make adjustments,” Santana said. “I can throw my changeup and my slider even better. Overall, I was just trying to make sure I threw all my pitches. As far as velocity, I still have room for improvement.

“But it’s all about how I felt. I’m working on my shoulder. It’s more about how I feel and how the pitches affect the way I feel. And I feel fine. It was a tough day. It was a challenge, but that’s good. I am moving along.”

Notes

The Mets ended up losing to the Tigers 9-0 and are now 3-9 and holding up the rear in the Grapefruit League standings.

The big three bullpen additions of Francisco (9.00 ERA), Rauch (10.80 ERA) and Ramirez (9.82 ERA) have been getting rocked like nobody’s business in 12.2 innings of work. Meanwhile, Parnell, Acosta, Herrera, Schwinden, Rodriguez and Hefner have yet to allow a run in  21.2 innings.