Kuzul

All of this talk seems extremely preliminary, but perhaps there is something to it. There have been rumors over the past couple of days involving either the Mets buying the Islanders, or simply the Mets building an arena next to Citi Field that would house the Islanders and perhaps a Major League Soccer team as well.

Here is the New York Daily News with more:

Those involved on both sides categorized the possibility as “a long shot” and “still in the early stages,” but Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has held talks with Islanders owner Charles Wang about possibly building a new arena for the NHL team in Queens.

“We’ve had discussions with the Islanders – in addition to those we’ve had with Major League Soccer – about building a sports/entertainment facility near Citi Field,” the Mets said.

Without speaking to the Wilpon’s, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city would be open to such a move. But he also warned that Wang might be using the Mets and Queens as leverage to expedite approval of his long-standing Lighthouse Project to renovate Nassau Coliseum and develop its surrounding land. Neither Wang nor Lighthouse spokespeople returned calls seeking comment.

“I haven’t talked to the Wilpon’s yet. I will,” Bloomberg said. “I don’t know whether it’s just the owner or the team negotiating, using us as a negotiating ploy out on Long Island.

“You know, I’d love to have more teams move here. It’d be great.”

Thoughts: Like I said, this seems extremely preliminary so I won’t be getting into this too much. Also, I think it is likely that Bloomberg is right when he said that this could just be a negotiating tactic by Wang and the Islanders to leverage a new arena out on Long Island. If it is not, this is great news as I am of the belief that the more teams in New York City, the better.

I’ll keep you posted if there are any updates on this, and in the meantime, why not discuss this? What are your thoughts on the Islanders moving to Flushing? Even if you don’t care about hockey, a huge sports complex next to Citi could be pretty cool, right?

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Yesterday, I posted a quick recap of Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran’s rehab progress, or lack thereof. In it I wrote that he had started light baseball activities, but that he was still experiencing pain.

It turns out that as I was writing that Beltran was working out. He told Newsday that while the progress has been slow, he was finally able to run without pain. That’s great news.

“Thank God there’s no pain,” Beltran told Newsday at the team’s Florida complex. “It’s a learning process for me to start running again, so right now I’m thinking about how to make it perfect. Today was the first day I ran and didn’t have to think about it. I was happy with today. Today was a pretty good day.”

Beltran also noted that the arthroscopic surgery that he had on his knee was actually a less invasive procedure than one doctors also gave him as an option. Instead, they could have performed micro fracture surgery that would have kept him out the entire 2010 season. So as long as this injury is taking for him to recover, at least he’s playing this season.

“They told me, ‘We want to try everything before that. Before that we’re going to try everything from A to Z, different things that we believe can help you,’” Beltran told the newspaper. “It’s been a slow, slow progress, but it’s been progress, that’s what I’m happy about.”

At this point, there have been a few different versions of the story from different sources. Nonetheless, it is great news that Beltran is getting closer to coming back.

It has been widely speculated that it would take him about six weeks to return once he was healthy enough to resume baseball activities. I’m a little skeptical that is 100 percent accurate, but if he is really without pain now, Beltran is looking at a return towards the last week of June.

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Francisco Rodriguez gave up a two-run home run to Roger Bernadina, his second of the day, in the top of the ninth inning that put the Mets down 6-4. Mike Pelfrey started the game and pitched so-so, but he and the bullpen kept the team in the game as the Mets tied it.

The Mets offense had their chance to go ahead in the fifth inning with Jeff Francoeur up and the bases loaded. Unfortunately for them Bernadina made a terrific catch in right field saving a run and probably the game as the Mets would have gone up by at least two runs at that point. Instead the game remained tied at four and Bernadina eventually beat them with his bat as well.

Jose Reyes also recieved a good amount of critizim for a play in the seventh. With a runner on and no outs, Reyes attempted a sac bunt only to mess it up and eventually hit into a double play. The next batter singled and instead of putting together a big inning they got nothing.

Notes

• Angel Pagan went 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, and a double.
• Alex Cora went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
• Jose Reyes went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a double.
• Jason Bay went 1-for-4.
• David Wright went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks.
• Ike Davis went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.
• Jeff Francoeur went 0-for-4.
• Rod Barajas went 0-for-3 with a walk.
• Mike Pelfrey’s line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HR.
• Hisanori Takahashi (0.1 IP), Pedro Feliciano (1 IP), Fernando Nieve (1 IP) combined for this line: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR.
• K-Rod’s line: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.

Thoughts

• The Mets had their chances to win this game offensively, but it really was a tremendous catch by Bernadina to save a pair of runs, maybe three.
• Without starting pitching though it’s hard to win any games. Pelfrey wasn’t awful, but he wasn’t good either. He helped himself out with an RBI single, but this Nationals lineup is not exactly the most intimidating, he needs to pitch better against them.
• You can’t let a player like Bernadina beat you like that. He smacked a pair of homers and stole two runs defensively. He is a career .212 hitter.

Line of the Day

GIDP – J Reyes. After the game manager Jerry Manuel took the blame for ordering Reyes to sac bunt. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d prefer to see my no. 3 hitter hitting away. It’s not exactly the wrong situation to bunt here, but if he’s hitting third, let him hit third. Ordering him to bunt takes away opportunities for him to drive the ball.

Quote

“He had, so far, the game of his career,” Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur said of Bernadina .

Up Next

• The Mets are two games over .500 and the Marlins are two games under. If the Mets are going to contend this year the Marlins are both division and wild card rivals. They need to take this series here. The two aces go head-to-head tomorrow.
• Thursday, May 13: LHP Johan Santana (3-2, 4.54) vs. RHP Josh Johnson (3-1, 3.35)
• Friday, May 14: LHP Oliver Perez (0-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Anibal Sanchez (1-2, 4.08)
• Saturday, May 15: RHP John Maine (1-2, 5.45) vs. LHP Nate Robertson (3-3, 4.54)
• Sunday, May 16: LHP Jon Niese (1-1, 4.58) vs. TBA

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A couple of Mets are on the disabled list and two of them have been away all season long so now is a good time to get some updates on a few of them.

Carlos Beltran has been out all year long after getting surgery on his back during the offseason. He was supposed to start rehab early in April, but that time has obviously come and gone. A few weeks ago he got himself fitted with a boot that was supposed to speed up rehab, but personally it seemed like a desperate maneuver to me.

Anyways, Beltran has started “limited baseball activities” which means he is swinging a bat and doing light jogging. The rumor is though that he still is experiencing pain when he runs full speed. Not good. They say that he should return within six weeks after he started rehabbing, but I think at this point even that estimate is rough.

Daniel Murphy has been playing in extended spring training games for a little while now. He might be pretty close to returning, but even once he’s healthy enough to go the Mets will keep him in the minors as he works out in the outfield and at second base.

Ryota Igarashi has been out with a strained left hamstring. He has been throwing bullpens this week. He’ll have to appear in a couple of games before he is cleared to return to Flushing. He could be back in a week, maybe two.

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The Mets entered the bottom of the eighth inning down 6-2 last night and put up a six-run inning, capped off by a go-ahead RBI double by the recently promoted Chris Carter to beat the Nationals at home by a score of 8-6.

Jon Niese started the game but he couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning as he needed the bullpen to hold him in the game until the offense could mound a comeback against a pair of former Yankee right handers, Brian Bruney and Tyler Clippard.

The Mets got their first two RBI thanks to Jeff Francoeur, but they did most of the damage in the eighth inning. Nearly the entire team pitched in that inning, as Jason Bay started it off with a single and drove in the final run as he walked with the bases loaded later in the inning.

Notes

• Angel Pagan went 2-for-5, 1 Run, 1 RBI.
• Luis Castillo went 1-for-4.
• Jose Reyes went 0-for-4, 1 BB.
• Jason Bay went 3-for-4, 2 Runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB.
• David Wright went 3-for-4, 2 Runs, 1 BB.
• Ike Davis went 0-for-5, 1 Run, 1 RBI.
• Jeff Francouer went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI.
• Rod Barajas went 2-for-4, 1 Run, 2 RBI.
• Jon Neise’s line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HR.
• Manny Acosta (0.2 IP), Hisanori Takahashi (2 IP), Raul Valdes (1 IP), and Francisco Rodriguez (1 IP) combined for this line: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 HR.

Thoughts

• In a way, this was a really big win for the Mets. This win puts their record at 18-15. If they had lost though, they would be just one game over .500.
• The Mets have already made two major upgrades to their offense this year. They DFA’d Mike Jacobs in favor of Ike Davis, and another big move was to DFA Frank Catalanotto in favor of Chris Carter. It immediately paid off both times. Now they have to get rid of Gary Matthews Jr.
• Ike Davis made another amazing catch over the railing behind first base. Where would the Mets be without his bat and his defense?
• Jon Neise has had back-to-back bad starts. Those have come after three great starts. Which stretch is closer to the real Neise?

Line of the Day

D. Wright 3-for-4. A lot has been made of Wright’s struggles this season, but he has a .968 OPS, seven home runs, and eight stolen bases. Those are very good numbers.

Quote

“It’s a great feeling. It’s really special,” Carter said. “I definitely felt like part of the team right there.”

Up Next

• Mike Pelfrey (4-1, 2.65) gets the start as the Mets wrap up this series against Craig Stammen (1-1, 5.63) and the Nationals.

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Gotta love Keith Hernandez.

Whether he is snorting lines, allegedly, all the way to the World Series, putting down women for having the audacity to be in a major league dugout, or simply asking you to help him move too early in your friendship, he is certainly an interesting character.

Here is a clip from the Mets 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants last Saturday that shows he was caught sleeping.

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According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork , the Mets have designated outfielder/pinch hitter Frank Catalanotto for assignment and have promoted outfielder/first baseman Chris Carter to take his spot on the roster.

Catalanotto, 36, has served primarily as a pinch hitter off the bench, but has had a truly putrid season putting up a .160 batting average, a .192 OBP, and a .200 SLG.

The Mets gave the local guy a chance, he’s from Smithtown, N.Y., but with his numbers so pathetic, it was only a matter of time before he was cut.

Carter, 27, was acquired late last season for reliever Billy Wagner . He has been tearing the cover off the ball so far this season for Triple-A Buffalo. In 29 games and 113 at bats he has a .336 average, a .390 OBP, a .611 SLG, and a 1.001 OPS.

He also has six homers, nine doubles, and a pair of triples. He has been playing mostly the corner outfield spots, but is capable of all three positions as well as first base.

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According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com , Mets pitcher Kelvim Escobar is expected to have surgery tomorrow to repair a torn capsule in front of his right shoulder, meaning he is out for the entire season.

This likely signals the end of Escobar’s nonexistent Mets career.

He was considered a pretty significant injury risk when the Mets signed him to a one-year, $1.25 million deal this offseason, and it looks like that money has completely gone to waste. Escobar has only pitched in one game, a five-inning performance last season, since 2007.

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It looks like we have an answer to the question I asked yesterday , at least a temporary one. According to Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger , the Mets will send Daniel Murphy to Triple-A Buffalo once he is healthy enough to return.

Here’s more from Costa:

The Mets plan to send Murphy, 24, to Buffalo for two reasons. From an offensive standpoint, they think it would be better for his development to get regular at-bats, which isn’t likely to happen in the majors. And defensively, the Mets want Murphy to play multiple positions, including first base, second base and left field.

Part of the thinking is that greater defensive versatility would increase his trade value, but it would also make him more valuable to the organization if he isn’t traded.

Thoughts: I don’t like the fact that Murphy will be in the minor leagues while worse hitters get to keep their spots on the active roster, but I do actually like the Mets thinking here. Murphy is still a young player and he needs at bats to continue to improve. So yes, having him in the minors, at least for the time being, might be better in the long run.

Also, they have a plan to use him as a super-utility type where he would play first, second, and left field. Breaking him in as that type of a player at the major league level could get ugly defensively so starting him in the minors makes sense.

The only problem I would have with this plan is if Vazquez isn’t promoted to the major leagues after a couple of weeks to a month. This plan is a good one, but you don’t want to see Murphy get buried especially since he’s probably better offensively than Gary Matthews Jr., Frank Catalanotto, Luis Castillo, and probably one or two other guys.

What are your thoughts? Are the Mets making the right move here?

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So far the Mets have not been bitten by the injury bug nearly as badly as they were last season, but they are dealing with their share of injuries.

• Jeff Francoeur was hit in the elbow with a pitch last night and had to leave the game. Afterwards he was taken for x-rays that were negative. He must be fine because he is in today’s lineup.
• Daniel Murphy has been hitting in a batting cage this week and he played in an extended spring training game yesterday . This is a good sign and means it may only be a week or two before he returns to Flushing.
• Sean Green has been on the disabled list all season long and it looks like he’ll be there even longer as he was just diagnosed with a stress fracture in a rib on his right side. It may be a while before he is ready to return.

So some good news and a bit of bad news. It’s great that Francoeur is not going to miss time, could you imagine Gary Matthews Jr. starting everyday? The Mets have been OK without Green so far so losing him here is not the biggest news, but it does sting somewhat. Depth is always good.

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