NY Mets FanSite 3/2005

3/31/2005 - The Mets Sign Another Over The Hill Catcher
The NY Mets sign 36 year catcher Mike DiFelice to a minor league contract today. DiFelice played with the Marlins this spring and went 7-25 with a .280 average before requesting his release.

3/30/2005 - What About Victor Diaz?
Everyone from major league scouts to top Mets brass believe that Victor Diaz is the real deal. If that's the case, why didn't he make the 25 man roster and get a shot to play even as a backup player? Why was he assigned to triple A? Simply put, he gets to play everyday instead of sitting on the bench. Let's take a look at the outfield corners, there is injury prone Floyd with leg issues and unhappy Cameron coming off wrist surgery. It's just a matter of time before Floyd is once again injured, Cameron is traded or aggravates his wrist and placed on the DL. In any event, it is pretty much guaranteed that Victor Diaz will be playing in one of the corners at Shea this year unless he is traded for some bullpen help.

3/29/2005 - Mets Sign Another Catcher
The NY Mets signed catcher, Kelly Stinnett to a minor league free agent contract. Stinnet is 35 years old and is a former NY Mets catcher from the 1994-1995 season. He currently was playing for the Diamondbacks where he asked and was granted his release. Stinnett was hitting .333 (8-24) in 17 games this spring and is also coming off Tommy John surgery which was performed last year.

3/29/2005 - Pedro Martinez Pitches Pain Free
Pedro Martinez pitched today in an intra-squad game without any back pain. He pitched five innings and threw 83 pitches before handing the ball over to Victor Zambrano.

3/29/2005 - Andres Galarraga Retires Today
The Big Cat, Andres Jose Galarraga, officially calls it quits. At a press conference today, Andres announced that he will be retiring even though he has been saying that he feels great and will make the team. He retires with 399 career home runs and won't be able to achieve his dream of 400.

3/28/2005 - Mets Beat The Cardinals
The Mets did it again, but it definitely wasn't pretty! The Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-10 in a dual to the end. The Cardinals had a seven run sixth inning including a grand slam home run by Scott Rolen off relief pitcher Felix Heredia. But in the end, Mike Piazza had a two run home run in the third inning, Kaz Matsui drove in three runs and Miguel Cairo helped break the deadlock tie of 10-10 with an RBI single to help win the game.

3/27/2005 - Mets Beat The Nationals
The NY Mets beat the Washington Nationals today 9-4 behind starting pitching Jose Santiago. Mike Piazza took the ball deep again over the center field wall and Jose Reyes had a three run triple.

3/27/2005 - Pedro Martinez Pitched A Light Session Today
Martinez was able to pitch a brief and light bullpen session today. He didn't report any type of back pain afterwards. So far, he appears to be pain-free and should be able to pitch this week.

3/26/2005 - Mets -vs- Braves Rained Out
Kaz Ishii, the newly acquired left handed starter form the Dodgers, was scheduled to pitch against John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves today, but the the game was canceled due to heavy rain.

3/25/2005 - Mike DeJean Update - Pedro Martinez Out
Mike DeJean's MRI showed only a calf strain and he will not be placed on the DL. He is listed as day-to-day, but will try to resume pitching on Monday. On the other hand, Pedro was scratched form tonight's game against the Marlins due to a stiff back. After an X-ray, he was cleared from any type of injuries and should resume pitching next week.

3/24/2005 - Mike DeJean Will Undergo An MRI Tonight
Relief pitcher, Mike DeJean who gave up two runs in today's loss to the Tigers, will undergo an MRI tonight for a calf muscle injury that has bothered him all week.

3/24/2005 - The Mets Drop Their Second In A Row
The Mets lost yesterday to the Cardinals (3-2) behind Kris Benson who gave up two runs. Victor Zambrano went into today's game with an era of 10, not 1.0, but with a 10 and pitched rather well considering his unbelievably high era. But, the Detroit Tigers held their ground and went on to win 6-3. On a positive note, the NY Mets have a winning spring season record of 12-7. Let's hope this carries over to the regular season and..."Let's Go Mets".

3/23/2005 - Mike Cameron Prepares For Opening Day
Everyone expected Victor Diaz, who had a three run blast against the Braves yesterday, to be in right field on opening day. But, it looks like Mike Cameron is progressing well enough after his wrist surgery to make the start. Unfortunately, this would leave Victor Diaz either benched or in the minors. After all of the Cameron trade rumors, his unhappiness with playing right field and his wrist rehabilitation, it would be wise for Randolph and Minaya to at least platoon Cameron and Diaz. This would would give Cameron more time to heal without pushing his limitations and it would give a great young player the opportunity to show his stuff.

3/22/2005 - The Mets Beat The Braves
It took ten innings, but the New York Mets did it again, they beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 to extend their winning streak to 10 games. Mike Piazza also got his first home run of spring training. On the downside, Tom Glavine once again gave up all 6 runs against his former team. If Glavine can't beat the Braves during the regular season, then the Mets are going to be in some serious trouble this year.

3/21/2005 - The NY Mets Trade For Kaz Ishii
The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodges came to agreements on a trade, the Mets gave up backup catcher Jason Phillips for starting pitcher Kaz Ishii. Phillips has blasted the ball well all spring and it's sad to see him go considering that Ishii is a walk machine. This wasn't one on Minaya's best moves. We all know that with Trachsel out, the Mets needed another starter. But to have two pitchers in the rotation with control issues is outright scary. Start investing in some good anti-acids before watching both Victor Zambrano and Kaz Ishii.

3/17/2005 - Steve Trachsel Is Out
The season hasn't officially started yet and the Mets are already in trouble. It looks like Steven Trachsel will undergo back surgery and will be out of the line up for at least six months. Trachsel has been a consistent workhorse for the Mets for the past couple of years and will really be missed. Good luck Trax - Get better soon!