Sep 25 2006 09:20 AM
IT'S A WASH.
BY MICHAEL MORRISSEY
September 25, 2006 -- Carlos Beltran arrived at Shea Stadium around 10 a.m. yesterday and hitting coach Rick Down walked over to his locker to get a status report on his strained left quad. To the relief of Met fans, Beltran woke up on the right side of the bed.
Saying he was "feeling a lot better," Beltran tested his leg by running before yesterday's 5-1 loss to Washington. He now expects to play tonight.
In a morning conversation with the Post, the MVP candidate stepped back from the idea of getting a shot for the injury. Beltran said he hasn't discussed a cortisone shot with the team, and manager Willie Randolph also downplayed that scenario. Beltran has missed the last six games.
"Right now, I don't feel it like the way when it happened," he said. "But it feels weird. It feels weird for all these days without running. I just want to test it and see how it goes."
After the game, he said, "Everything went fine." Although his legs felt a little bit tight and "kind of heavy," he was encouraged.
"I didn't feel any pain, so that was a good thing," he said. "If I don't feel anything (when he wakes up today), I'll be out there (tonight)."
With rain forecast in New York yesterday, Randolph was adamant about keeping Beltran out of the lineup "even if he came and said he wanted to play."
On Saturday, Beltran expressed frustration about being sidelined and worried that he wouldn't have enough time to get ready for the playoffs. Yesterday, he said he was getting excited about the playoffs.
