PORT ST. LUCIE – The Mets’ clubhouse suddenly got a lot emptier yesterday afternoon.
The club’s 15 participants in the World Baseball Classic all departed for their respective national camps after a 13-1 Grapefruit League blasting of the Astros, leaving a thin roster in their wake.
Manager Jerry Manuel will have to make do without such stars as David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado for as much as the next three weeks, and the Mets’ manager wasn’t exactly overjoyed by that prospect.
Manuel, though, said he understood his players’ desire to play in the tournament.
“I hope it has an impact on them as individuals to enjoy that camaraderie and bring that same feeling back here,” Manuel said. “I think it’s going to be a great experience for them to play for what’s on the front of their jersey and not what’s on the back.”
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John Maine pitched in a game for the first time since having a bone spur in his right shoulder shaved last September. The right-hander allowed one run and one hit (a Miguel Tejada homer) with two walks and a strikeout in two innings against Houston.
“It’s been a while since I pitched or got the adrenaline from facing hitters,” Maine said. “It’s the first step. I worked hard just to be able to get back and do that, so it feels good.”
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New set-up man J.J. Putz made his Mets’ Grapefruit League debut, striking out one and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of work.
Putz, who flew to Arizona earlier this week for the birth of his son, left to pitch for Team USA in the WBC soon after the game.
“I’m very, very excited,” Putz said of the WBC. “I consider it a huge honor to wear ‘USA’ across my chest. That’s the way they’ve put this team together, getting guys who are passionate about playing for Team USA.”
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The Mets got a whopping eight RBIs out of the catcher position, with Brian Schneider blasting a grand slam as part of a five-RBI day and Ramon Castro adding a three-run shot. . . . Non-roster pitcher Tony Armas Jr. finally arrived in camp after visa problems in his native Venezuela.