GM Omar Minaya denied manager Jerry Manuel’s job status is tied to the Mets’ performance against the Yankees this weekend. Manuel remains firmly entrenched on the hot seat after a 2-6 road trip through Florida, Atlanta and Washington that included a visit from team COO Jeff Wilpon.
“It’s the Subway Series, but this has nothing to do with Jerry,” Minaya said.
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Five days after his worst start of the season, Phil Hughes is not worried about pitching today at Citi Field. He’s more worried about hitting.
“I’ll probably be like nine feet out of the batter’s box,” Hughes said.
He has not swung a bat in a game since his senior year at Foothill High School.
“I could hit an 85-mile-per-hour fastball, but if you threw a breaking ball at me I was done,” Hughes said. “Don’t run over and tell [Mike Pelfrey] that.”
Hughes gave up a season-high five runs Monday against the Red Sox, including home runs to David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. It was his first rough outing of the year. He is 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA.
“I feel good,” Hughes said. “I felt good in my bullpens. It was a couple of bad pitches. I’m just trying to look at my mistakes and pick up where I left off an outing ago. That’s where my focus is.”
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It will seem like old times for Pelfrey when he faces Hughes tonight. Pelfrey battled Hughes when both were Double-A pitchers in 2006. Both were selected to the Eastern League All-Star team.
“Even then [Hughes] was very tough,” Pelfrey said.
Last season Pelfrey faced the Yankees at Citi Field and allowed four runs over five innings in a 9-1 loss. He beat the Yankees at the Stadium a year earlier in his only other Subway Series appearance.
“[Jorge] Posada, [Curtis] Granderson and [Nick] Johnson are hurt so hopefully you catch some breaks,” Pelfrey said. “But I don’t know how many breaks you get.”
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Ryota Igarashi was expected to make a relief appearance last night at Triple-A Buffalo, his last outing before rejoining the Mets on Sunday. The team will have to make a roster move and a club source acknowledged that Jenrry Mejia is a strong candidate to be replaced. The Mets would send Mejia to Buffalo with the idea of converting him into a starter. Igarashi had emerged as a trusted late-inning option before straining his left hamstring on April 20.
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Alfredo Aceves will go to Tampa on Monday for the next phase of his recovery from a bulging disc in his back. He played catch yesterday at Citi Field for the second straight day.
The plan is for him to throw a few bullpen sessions in Tampa, then a simulated game. Aceves probably will make a few rehabilitation appearances in the minor leagues before getting activated off the disabled list.
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Luis Castillo was scratched from the lineup as he continues to deal with a bone bruise in his left foot. Manuel said he’s like to try and give Castillo another day off today. Alex Cora got the call at second base in Castillo’s place.
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The Mets have not announced a rotation beyond Sunday, but it’s likely they would go with R.A. Dickey, Hisanori Takhashi and Mike Pelfrey in succession against the Phillies. With Monday’s off day, the next time the Mets would need a starter for John Maine‘s spot is next Saturday in Milwaukee, three days before Jon Niese would be eligible to come off the disabled list. Elmer Dessens, who took Maine’s roster spot last night, is not considered an option in the starting rotation.
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David Robertson has rebounded from a tough start to the season. He struck out four in two innings of work against the Rays on Thursday night.
“I just hit a rough stretch,” Robertson said. “Like a hitter hits a slump it was the same thing for me. I’m just glad Joe [Girardi] kept running me out there.”
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Marcus Thames said his sprained left ankle was feeling better yesterday. He planned on taking batting practice before determining if he could pinch hit in the game.
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Last night was to be Jeff Francoeur‘s Subway Series debut.
“It’ll be fun,” he said before the game, but he also added he doesn’t want to get too hyped up. “My football mentality sometimes gets the best of me.”
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Roy Oswalt has asked the Astros for a trade, but don’t expect the Mets to have designs on picking up the remainder of the $33 million the right-hander is owed through 2011. The 32-year-old Oswalt is 2-6 with a 2.66 ERA for the anemic Astros.
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As Jason Bay prepared to make his Subway Series debut, he was expecting a fun night, but probably nothing to approach the intensity of Yankees-Red Sox. Bay played in that rivalry the previous 1½ seasons.
“I don’t know if ‘hatred,’ if that’s a good word for two teams in the same city,” Bay said. “If they are bitter, bitter rivals. I’m looking forward to seeing what the mood is like.”
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Mike Piazza, John Franco, Turk Wendell and Benny Agbayani were among the members of the 2000 Mets in attendance last night to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the club’s last pennant. The Mets lost that World Series to the Yankees in five games.