Mike Pelfrey can punctuate his in-season turnaround with a strong performance against the Yankees today.
After a disastrous stretch to begin the season, the Mets right-hander has settled into a groove over his last three starts, with solid performances against the Giants, Rockies and Marlins. But none of those teams compare to the Yankees -- even with the recent struggles by Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher, among others.
"They are still dangerous, no matter where you look at," Pelfrey said before the Mets' 7-3 loss to the Yankees last night at the Stadium. "Russell Martin has [eight] home runs; for a catcher that is impressive. [Robinson] Cano is dangerous, A-Rod is dangerous and [Mark] Teixeira is obviously dangerous. Some of the guys aren't where they want to be offensively, but by the end of the year, you know the numbers are going to be there for those guys."
BOX SCORE
PHOTOS: SUBWAY SERIES LEADERS
Pelfrey, who is 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees, said the Subway Series never gets old for him.
"The fans get into it, and you can feel the excitement in the air, which as players makes it extra fun for us," Pelfrey said. "When the fans are into it, that does make it a lot of fun."
*
Daniel Murphy's footwork around first base has become a new point of emphasis with the Mets, after Murphy was ruled off the bag on Jose Reyes' throw in the fifth inning Friday. Replays showed Murphy was on the base.
A day earlier, Murphy came off the base in the ninth inning against the Nationals, but it wasn't spotted by umpire Phil Cuzzi.
Manager Terry Collins said the missed call by umpire Jeff Kellogg on Friday indicates word is out to pay close attention to whether Murphy stays on the bag.
"If it's going around that [Murphy] is coming off the bag, we've got to correct it," Collins said. "I don't know what the whole thought process is, but we've got to make sure we get those calls."
Collins planned to have infield coach Chip Hale discuss the situation with Murphy.
*
Carlos Beltran will shift to designated hitter today, with Fernando Martinez moving to right field.
Collins also plans to give Ronny Paulino the start at catcher. After a good beginning at the plate, Paulino is in a 1-for-13 rut. But Paulino has worked well with Pelfrey.
*
Angel Pagan (oblique) played his final game for Single-A St. Lucie, finishing 3-for-4 against Tampa, and will extend his minor league rehab assignment, either at Double-A Binghamton or Triple-A Buffalo, according to Collins. Pagan could join the Mets in Chicago this week.
*
Justin Turner has reached base in 12 straight games, dating to May 7, and has a career-high hitting streak of eight games thanks to RBI single in the first inning last night. Over that stretch, Turner is batting .424 (14-for-33) with one homer and 12 RBIs. He had three hits in the Mets' 2-1 victory over the Yankees on Friday.
*
Tom Fersch lived to see his beloved Mets defeat the Yankees, 2-1 on Friday.
Early yesterday morning Fersch, 49, the senior director of group sales for the team since 1994, died after an 18-month battle with cancer, passing after watching the game with friends at Sloan-Kettering.
"He was in and out all night," Mets vice president of communications Jay Horwitz said. "But he perked up when he heard his name on SNY. He passed with a smile on his face. Tom's entire life was about the Mets."
-- Additional reporting by Mike Vaccaro
mike pelfrey, phil cuzzi, nick swisher, robinson cano, carlos beltran, infield coach, mark teixeira, subway series, russell martin, daniel murphy, jose reyes, jorge posada, fifth inning, ninth inning, derek jeter, footwork, thought process, right hander, home runs, replays
No comments:
Post a Comment