Age Old Questions

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Excuse the lathering Detroit laid on the Mets, and the sweep by the Phillies where the Mets had trouble reaching 3 on the scoreboard. Chalk it up to a makeshift lineup about to be reinforced. Well, better check on those reinforcements. Off season acquisition Moises Alou, initially scheduled to return against Detroit, is back on the shelf. The 40-year-old outfielder is heading back to Port St. Lucie and square one of his recovery. The Mets only say he is nowhere close to returning. As good a hitter as Alou is, injuries, particularly with his track record, are part of the risk with older free agents, and its haunting the Mets.

Alou's rightfield counterpart did return Monday. The next question is if Shawn Green can continue his early season resurgence. The Mets almost need him to do, with the lineup struggling to put runs on the board. If Green reverts to his declining numbers of the past few seasons, Minaya may be forced to make a move.

Endy Chavez and Lastings Milledge are not scheduled to return anytime soon.

...El Duque is almost always the type of pitcher you want on your team. Guts, good stuff, finds his way out of trouble, and keeps his team in the game...most of the time. Over the years I have noticed, like former teammate David Wells, if El Duque does not have his best stuff, or gets a few bad calls, or simply loses it one inning, he cashes the chips in. These two guys are usually the epitome of competitor, but if things are not going well, each has the propensity to give up. The fourth inning in LA Monday might not be the best example, but watch for that if Hernandez hits a rough stretch. Then wait for his next injury and 3-4 week break. My current projection is mid-July through early September.