Pedro Martinez had to leave his first start of the season against the Florida Marlins in the fourth inning with a hamstring injury. FSNY announcers Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez quickly stated that, it is almost unheard of for a pitcher to strain a hamstring and not wind up on the DL. The announcers got it right as the Mets announced today that Pedro would be going on the 15 day DL but it would be, in reality about 4-6 weeks before he would be ready to return.
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It is not surprising to see Pedro struggle this early in the season. He had a spring training that featured mostly simulated games or games against minor leaguers thus some early rust was to be expected. It's unfortunate that when Pedro finally did settle in, he was knocked out by the leg injury.
The DL stint for Pedro is expected to last 4-6 weeks as previous speculation had it. If you are looking for some guys to take a flier on while he is out to fill out your roster check out Boof Bonser, Brian Bannister, Jason Bergmann, Johnny Cueto, Manny Parra or Carlos Villanueva. I doubt any will knock your socks off, but they won't hurt your team either.
The Mets called up Nelson Figueroa to take Pedro's spot on the roster, and join the starting rotation in Pedro's absence. He should be on the hill for the Mets home opener Tuesday. We speculated earlier that Jorge Sosa would get the call, but the Mets are keeping him in the bullpen where he offers a versatile arm that can come into a game in a variety of situations.
If healthy El Duque would certainly have stepped into the rotaton, however, he is currently in class A-ball trying to work out injury issues of his own. Most have said it will take at least 2 more starts for him to have the arm strength and stamina to be ready to pitch in major league games. Rule of thumb: Don't replace one injured player with another injured player.
As far as Pedro goes, lets remember he was great for the Mets down the stretch last season, carrying the staff, while the team crumbled around him. A positive to draw out of this is that this hamstring injury has nothing to do with the shoulder problems that have plagued him in the past. This seems more like a fluky one time thing. Pedro still has a decent amount to give. Granted, he isn't near what he once was, but he is still quite serviceable with the potential to provide a dominant performance every time out.
If healthy El Duque would certainly have stepped into the rotaton, however, he is currently in class A-ball trying to work out injury issues of his own. Most have said it will take at least 2 more starts for him to have the arm strength and stamina to be ready to pitch in major league games. Rule of thumb: Don't replace one injured player with another injured player.
As far as Pedro goes, lets remember he was great for the Mets down the stretch last season, carrying the staff, while the team crumbled around him. A positive to draw out of this is that this hamstring injury has nothing to do with the shoulder problems that have plagued him in the past. This seems more like a fluky one time thing. Pedro still has a decent amount to give. Granted, he isn't near what he once was, but he is still quite serviceable with the potential to provide a dominant performance every time out.
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