The more I see of Pedro Martinez, the more I worry about whether he is going to be a strong option as a starter for the Mets in the post season.
Pedro’s days of dominating hitters are long gone, but I still figured he would give us a quality start whenever he took the mound. I never expected him to go from great to… well… to mediocre. And I’m being kind.
It’s no wonder why everyone who’s who in the Mets organization was on hand to see John Maine throw a bullpen session on Saturday in Atlanta. So how did it go? Well, the results were less than optimal, and opinions were tempered at best.
Pitching coach, Dan Warthen estimated that Maine’s fastball topped out at about 86 mph, far less than Maine’s usual low to mid 90s heater. In other words, he was very hittable.
“It would be really rude of us to try to put John in a tough situation, throwing the way he is right now,” Warthen said.
“If he happens to show up on Wednesday or Thursday, and we put him in a game and see 94 miles an hour, I’m going to have to rethink my whole strategy,” Warthen said. “That’s the kind of guy we want to see if we’re going to look at him in a late-inning role in the playoffs.”
The Mets also said that if Maine felt and pain or discomfort today or tomorrow, he would be shut down for the season. Otherwise, as Warthen said, Maine will have one more bullpen session next week after which a determination will be made.
