The Mets got exactly what they expected out of Johan Santana in their season-opening win over the Marlins on Monday.
Now comes the hard part: Seeing what the other four-fifths of the starting rotation will give them.
And that starts tonight, when John Maine takes the mound against Florida at Citi Field after yesterday’s off day.
“You always want to get the year started off strong,” Maine said. “It’s the same thing every season. Your first couple of starts, you’re anxious and you want to get off on the right foot. No matter what you’ve been through to get there, that doesn’t change.”
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GM Omar Minaya, who was unable to acquire another top starter in the offseason, insisted yesterday he wasn’t worried about the state of his pitching staff.
“There’s no concern from me,” Minaya said. “I think we’ll be fine, all the way through.”
After a dismal spring training, in which virtually the entire rotation struggled, it would be easy to question Minaya’s optimism, but he stuck to it.
“[Mike] Pelfrey was very good his last time out, and as long as Maine is out there, I’m not concerned about him,” Minaya said.
Feeling good, of course, was Maine’s problem last year, when he was limited to 81 1/3 innings because of shoulder woes that also limited his effectiveness.
Despite his tough spring training, during which he went 1-3 with a 7.88 ERA, Maine thinks he’s ready to return to the form that made him a 15-game winner in 2007.
“I’m feeling strong,” said Maine, who was bothered by an upset stomach in his final spring training outing last week, when he surrendered four runs in 4 2/3 innings against Washington.
Manager Jerry Manuel wants Maine, 29 next month, to follow Santana’s lead and set the tone for the other, young, starters.
“I feel very confident that John Maine, Jonathon Niese and Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez will pitch well,” Manuel said.
“I feel very good about that. Those guys know that they are going to be called upon to do very well, and that’s what we’re hoping for.”