MIAMI – Mike Pelfrey was more amused than concerned by the near-brawl he started by plunking Marlins center fielder Cody Ross last night.
A quiet night at Dolphins Stadium suddenly turned heated with two outs in the bottom of the second inning when Pelfrey hit Ross above the right elbow on a two-strike fastball.
Though it was obvious Pelfrey wasn’t throwing at him intentionally, Ross slammed a piece of his batting equipment as he walked toward first base, then turned toward Pelfrey and called him “the p-word,” as Pelfrey said later.
The benches emptied but no blows were exchanged, which was just as Pelfrey said he expected after watching Ross issue a similarly lame challenge when Pelfrey hit him three weeks ago at Shea Stadium.
“I told him I was right here, so if he wanted to come out . . .” Pelfrey said. “He just kept talking. It seemed like he got a little more fired up when 24 [teammates] were behind him. I wasn’t going to go anywhere.”
El Duque isn’t ready to hang up his spikes just yet. Fresh off surgery to remove a debilitating bunion on his right foot, Orlando Hernandez visited the clubhouse before last night’s game. The 40-something Cuban right-hander is putting off retirement even though doctors say the recovery period from bunion surgery can be as long as two years.
“I don’t know yet,” El Duque said when asked about retiring after a nine-year career in the big leagues and more than 10 years pitching in Castro’s Cuba. “I miss baseball. We will see [after the rehab process begins].”
The approach of Hurricane Gustav prompted the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans to cancel the final three games of its season. The cancellations likely mean the end of the Zephyrs’ relationship with the Mets, who reportedly are planning a switch to Syracuse next season.
Interim manager Jerry Manuel has not announced his choice for a starter Tuesday in Milwaukee, although young left-hander Jon Niese was lifted from his final Triple-A start after just 65 pitches, making it increasingly likely he will get the nod over fellow candidates Brian Stokes and Nelson Figueroa.
Manuel said he will consider pinch-hitting more often for right fielder Ryan Church, who is scuffling a bit at the plate since coming back from a seven-week absence due to post-concussion syndrome. Church is hitting .158 (3-for-19) in his past six games after a 0-for-3 outing last night.
“Ryan hasn’t quite gotten into the flow yet,” Manuel said. “We gave him a couple of shots in Philadelphia against lefties and didn’t quite get the at-bats I was looking for. That could have to do with not playing for a while. He might be pressing a little, trying to catch up quick. He’s had a long time off.”