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Saturday Miscellany

Frayed Knot Feb 28 2009 06:06 AM

* Johan Santana scratched for the scheduled Tuesday start which was originally supposed to be Friday. Claims are that it's merely a precaution with Johan calling the elbow discomfort "just routine" * Bobby Kielty (HR on Friday) decides to abandon switch-hitting. His career RH splits are considerably better than his LH although facing same-side pitchers, particularly after not having done it for so long, is a whole 'nother ballgame * Mets sign LHP Ron Villone I thought this was a guy they should have looked at a couple years ago as a good middle-innings guy. He is now 39 and his walks took a huge jump last season (w/StL) so this ship may have passed

Benjamin Grimm Feb 28 2009 06:28 AM

The Kielty switch-hitting thing is curious. I remember when Wally Backman was an unbalanced switch-hitter: he did well batting left-handed against righties but not hitting right-handed against lefties. He briefly toyed with becoming a strictly left-handed hitter, but didn't stick with it. But Kielty has the opposite problem: he struggles (sorry, "scuffles") as a left-handed hitter. Since most pitchers are right-handed, he should have abandoned switch-hitting a long time ago. Why do something that puts you at a disadvantage against about two-thirds of the opposing pitchers? I don't have the numbers in front of me, but typically I don't think right-handed batters have as much trouble against righty pitchers as lefty hitters do against lefty pitchers.

metirish Feb 28 2009 07:19 AM

Starting to get worried about Johan....and I'm not a worrier.

SteveJRogers Feb 28 2009 08:05 AM

Newday is reporting that he is out indefinitely! [url]http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/blog/2009/02/johan_santana_out_indefinitely.html[/url] ]Johan Santana met with GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel for 40 minutes this morning about the best way to handle his elbow tightness. The bottom line is that Santana is officially in limbo and his Opening Day start (April 6) could be in jeopardy as well. Here's the plan for now: Santana will throw a light bullpen session on Sunday to see how the elbow responds, and if he feels OK the following day, he still will need another two or three live BP sessions before he can make a Graperfuit League start. That means if everything goes perfectly -- perfectly -- he could actually face another team at some point during the week of March 9. As for the worst-case scenario, Santana throws on Sunday, still feels the elbow and the Mets finally decide to send him back to New York for tests. Santana said minutes ago that the elbow still is tight -- he's been told it's the triceps tendon behind the elbow -- and he is considering the possibility that Opening Day might now be questionable for him. "We have 162 games," Santana said. "What we have to accomplish takes 162 games. Everything starts April 6, if it's going to be me or somebody else. It's tough to say right now."

Kong76 Feb 28 2009 08:38 AM

Better safe than sorry last couple days of February, I guess. If he's hurt, how long before someone blogs/scoops that the Mets dropped the ball by letting Santana incorrectly compensate for the leg and damaged his arm? My friend down in spring training heard ...

seawolf17 Feb 28 2009 12:17 PM

Quick! Sign Manny Ramirez to pitch!

batmagadanleadoff Feb 28 2009 12:26 PM

="Kong76":110kwfn8]Better safe than sorry last couple days of February, I guess. If he's hurt, how long before someone blogs/scoops that the Mets dropped the ball by letting Santana incorrectly compensate for the leg and damaged his arm?[/quote:110kwfn8] But what if that's true? Kong76 Feb 28 2009 12:42 PM batmag: But what if that's true? <<< Uh ... scoop A story or fact; especially, news learned and reported before anyone else. He listened carefully, in hopes of getting the scoop on the debate. (definition courtesy or Wiktionary) Frayed Knot Feb 28 2009 12:43 PM I heard he's dead but the team doesn't want to admit it!!!! batmagadanleadoff Feb 28 2009 03:14 PM ="Kong76"]batmag: But what if that's true? <<< Uh ... scoop A story or fact; especially, news learned and reported before anyone else. He listened carefully, in hopes of getting the scoop on the debate. (definition courtesy or Wiktionary) A story or fact.... "or" Kong76 Feb 28 2009 04:04 PM You're the one who asked what if. If it's true, then it was a scoop. Other than that, I have no interest in playing sneaky professor word games with you. Frayed Knot Feb 28 2009 04:54 PM From A. Rubin's blog: Johan Santana says doctors told him it's the triceps tendon that is causing stiffness in his pitching elbow. With pitching coach Dan Warthen and manager Jerry Manuel already on the bus for Lakeland, Fla., Santana said he'll wait until Sunday to map out a plan for pitching. But it's clear he won't be in a Grapefruit League game for a while. Santana said he hopes to throw a light bullpen session on Sunday. He then wants to face hitters in a batting-practice-style setting two or three times before entering a game. With potentially two days rest in between each BP, we're possibly talking two weeks before a game appearance. Edgy DC Feb 28 2009 07:21 PM ="Benjamin Grimm":v03fqqv6]Why do something that puts you at a disadvantage against about two-thirds of the opposing pitchers?[/quote:v03fqqv6] Because, in theory, it doesn't put you at a disadvantage against them. They can't pitch inside against you, and you're two steps closer to first. If you can't do it, your skills are certainly putting you at a disadvantage, but, then, we have no idea how good or bad he has ever been hitting righthanded against righties. It's not his ability, but his relative ability, that forces the issue. batmagadanleadoff Feb 28 2009 08:25 PM ="Kong76":nozh3c50]You're the one who asked what if. If it's true, then it was a scoop. Other than that, I have no interest in playing sneaky professor word games with you.[/quote:nozh3c50] No problem. But I didn't think I was playing sneaky word games.