Thursday, March 23, 2006By Mike Steffanos
Pedro will not be on the mound for opening day against the Nationals on March 3. This can hardly come as a shock to any Mets fan that's been paying attention this spring. Tom Glavine will get the start, while Martinez hopes to take a turn in the rotation sooner rather than later.
New York Post: No Opener for Pedro
Mark Hale cites Pedro Martinez that he will not be pitching opening day. Martinez, scheduled to make his first spring start Sunday, feels he will be able to make a start the first week of the season. Hale quotes Martinez on his upcoming spring debut:
I just threw a simulated game, threw a little bullpen [yesterday], felt great. So I'm looking forward to the next outing and hopefully I'll feel great again and on and on and on hopefully for the rest of the season.
Daily News: Heilman quote
In a Notebook (scroll down), Adam Rubin quotes Aaron Heilman on his successful start yesterday:
It seemed like I had to pitch out of a jam every inning, but I felt good about being able to make a pitch when I needed to and getting a ground ball or popup or strikeout.
Heilman scattered 6 hits in his 5 innings, and stranded a runner on third base 4 of those 5 innings. Heilman felt a little strong with a seven-day interval between starts, and that affected his control.
Newsday: Heilman and Milledge
In his Notebook feature, David Lennon quote Aaron Heilman on the possibility of being moved back to the bullpen despite having a great spring as a starter:
My thoughts are to go out there and try to pitch the best I can every time I get the ball. Those decisions aren't up to me. After that, I don't see much sense in worrying about what's going to happen.
Lennon also quotes Willie Randolph on prospect Lastings Milledge, who doubled home the winning run with 2 outs in the ninth yesterday:
He's showed me that he likes to compete and he's not scared. I just like to see kids who have a little moxie about them. I don't like throwing superlatives around, but you've got to like what you see.
New York Times: Heilman v. Bannister
Ben Shpigel gives us the lowdown on the compelling battle for that last starter position.
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