ATLANTA – Pedro Martinez’s return to the Mets was delayed indefinitely yesterday when his ailing father had a seizure at home in the Dominican Republic.
Martinez had just boarded a flight in Miami yesterday morning to throw a bullpen session here for the Mets’ coaching staff when he was pulled off because of his father’s setback.
Pablo Jaime, 78, is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor, and Martinez said recently that his father does not have long to live.
“His dad’s not doing well and had a seizure,” Willie Randolph said before the game. “We’ll just see what happens when [Pedro] gets back [from the Dominican]. All the other stuff in terms of pitching is on hold.”
Martinez has been sidelined since April 1 with a strained left hamstring suffered in Miami just four innings into his first start of the season.
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Moises Alou is scheduled to return to New York this morning for an MRI exam after straining his left calf in last night’s 11-4 loss here to the Braves and walking off the field in the bottom of the third inning.
The 41-year-old slugger, a disabled-list regular throughout his career, said he is steeling himself for another potentially long absence. Alou already has missed two months this season because of hernia surgery in early March.
“To tell the truth, and being realistic because I’ve had this before, I’m not very optimistic about it,” Alou said of his latest ailment.
Alou said he thinks the injury developed from favoring an earlier injury to his right ankle. The calf problems developed over the weekend at Yankee Stadium, then flared up so intensely that he said he couldn’t move while standing in the outfield in the third inning.
“One of the most embarrassing things is to walk off the field like I did, especially when you’re a guy with a track record of being injured,” Alou said.
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Ryan Church was in much better shape after his latest concussion than he was after his first. The Mets’ right fielder said he hopes to be back in the lineup by this weekend after his head collided with the knee of Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar on the final play of their Game 2 loss Tuesday night.