In a season where there is not much doubt who the starting five will be in the Mets pitching rotation, Rafael Montero still has a very important month ahead of him.
Marc Carig of Newsday looked at Montero’s forgettable first appearance of spring. Montero, who is trying to regain the trust of the Mets front office, would like to think it was just one of those days for him.
“I don’t think it was anything specific,” Montero said through a translator. “I just think it’s one of those days when some days are good, some days are bad, and this was definitely a bad one.”
Rafael, who once had a big reputation as a strike thrower, struggled with his command on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. In the first inning he allowed four runs, four hits and two walks, while throwing 39 pitches.
Manager, Terry Collins seemed to brush off the rocky start for Montero, being the first game of spring.
“It’s not a big deal,” Collins said. “It is the first outing. But we’ve got to get the ball around the plate. So that’s our next goal.”
Montero will look to get back on track when he is given the ball next, but is happy to make it through that first start healthy.
“It’s just key for me to be healthy right now, I’m happy with that,” Montero said. “I’m really just looking at it as the first time going around. Hopefully everything will go better moving forward.”
