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Series with lowly Nats is a major test for Mets (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 14 May 2008 05:44:00 PDT

On the surface, it's a dead spot in the schedule: a no-sizzle series with the last-place Washington Nationals...

Mets Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Wed, 14 May 2008 03:55:01 PDT

Claudio Vargas, 29, was brought up from Class AAA New Orleans to start Wednesday night against Washington, and manager Willie Randolph said the right-hander could get the ball more than once.

An extra starter became necessary when the Mets played a doubleheader Saturday against Cincinnati, and left-hander Adam Bostick was also considered.

"The reports on (Vargas) have been very good," general manager Omar Minaya said.

The Mets signed Vargas to a minor league contract April 10, shortly after his release from Milwaukee.

Vargas was 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA for New Orleans, but in his last start May 8, he threw seven scoreless innings against Fresno.

Vargas will fill Nelson Figueroa's spot in the rotation.

Baseball Today (AP)

Wed, 14 May 2008 02:37:00 PDT

NL Capsules (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:58:33 PDT

Edinson Volquez (6-1) pitched six effective innings and Joey Votto homered in the Cincinnati Reds' 5-3 win over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night, but shortstop Jeff Keppinger fouled a pitch off his leg in the second and X-rays revealed a broken left kneecap. Keppinger, the Reds' leading hitter, is scheduled for an MRI exam Wednesday.

Santana to start opener of Subway Series (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:31:58 PDT

Johan Santana is going to pitch in Hank's house. Santana's next scheduled start was pushed back a day by the New York Mets, and the two-time Cy Young Award winner is slated to start Friday's Subway Series opener at Yankee Stadium against Darrell Rasner. Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman, cut off trade talks for Santana in December when he heeded the advice of general manager Brian Cashman...

Maine shuts down Nationals (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:27:38 PDT

Ryan Church lashed a line drive to right in the sixth inning, harder hit than his homer in the second for sure, and he paused momentarily in the batter's box to watch the ball's trajectory. Once he saw Austin Kearns hesitate, he knew he had another hit. The liner-turned-double drove in two of Church's four runs against his former team, and John Maine pitched six sharp innings to lead the New York...

Sorenstam throws out ceremonial first pitch at Mets game (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:49:10 PDT

Annika Sorenstam might have found herself a post-retirement job -- pitcher. Sorenstam threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the New York Mets on Tuesday night, several hours after she announced that she was going to retire from professional golf career at the end of the year. The 37-year-old, wearing a white Mets home jersey with the No.

Mets designate two pitchers for assignment (PA SportsTicker)

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:23:23 PDT

The New York Mets on Tuesday designated righthanders Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa for assignment.

Mets' new stadium shaping up (AP)

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:58:39 PDT

The Mets' new stadium is starting to look like a ballpark. Rows of seats, forest green in tribute to the New York Giants' Polo Grounds, have been installed in the right field upper deck at Citi Field. While the playing field was still a busy construction zone Tuesday, with the home-plate area boxed by orange netting, steel trusses for the two enormous high definition video boards, one 70-by-40...

Martinez to throw simulated game (PA SportsTicker)

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:57:41 PDT

Sidelined since April 1 with a torn left hamstring, New York Mets righthander Pedro Martinez will pitch in a simulated game on Wednesday against major league hitters.

A-Rod will miss Subway Series (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:11:52 PDT

The New York Yankees had hoped to get Alex Rodriguez back for this weekend's Subway Series showdown against the...

Mets' Figueora says Nats are Bush Leaguers (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:09:29 PDT

Nelson Figueroa knows about bush league baseball. After all, he's toured the world trying to resurrect his major...

Perez wins for first time in 9 starts, Nationals beat Mets (AP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:59:39 PDT

Odalis Perez trudged off the mound without a hint of a smile, taking a slow walk to the Washington dugout and blowing into his cold hands. Not the typical body language one would expect from a pitcher who was about to earn his first win of the season. Well, this wasn't a typical start for Perez. Perez had three hits and two RBIs and pitched laboriously into the seventh inning, leading the Washington...

Frustrated Martinez ready for simulated game (AP)

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:32:38 PDT

Pedro Martinez plans to throw a simulated game against minor leaguers Wednesday, another step toward returning to the New York Mets' rotation from a frustrating leg injury. Martinez, who strained his left hamstring April 1 during his season debut, 1, threw a bullpen session Monday. The injury has been difficult for the three-time Cy Young Award winner to handle, especially because he missed most of...

Baseball Power Poll: Florida teams surge into top 5 (SportingNews.com)

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:56:26 PDT

Every week Sean Deveney looks at the action and ranks all the teams as he sees them.

Howard can't hit what he can't see (Yahoo! Sports)

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:41:00 PDT

Slumping Phillies slugger Ryan Howard admits he isn't comfortable at the plate and isn't tracking pitches well.

Beltran, Church homer back-to-back as Mets beat Reds 8-3 (AP)

Sun, 11 May 2008 15:54:36 PDT

Oliver Perez plays baseball like a kid in a school yard -- hitting, pitching, stealing bases, experimenting with different arm angles. All were on display in the New York Mets' 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday in which the left-hander earned his first win since April 19. "He might drive you nuts every once in a while," New York manager Willie Randolph said, "but he competes, man." The...

Mets' Castillo injures quad (PA SportsTicker)

Sun, 11 May 2008 12:24:10 PDT

New York Mets second baseman Luis Castillo left Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds with left quad discomfort.

Arroyo dominant, Reds beat Mets 7-1 to earn DH split (AP)

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:28:35 PDT

Throughout his horrendous start to the season, Bronson Arroyo insisted he was fine. He proved it on Saturday. Arroyo pitched eight dominant innings to win a matchup of struggling pitchers and Jeff Keppinger had a career-high five hits, lifting the Cincinnati Reds over the New York Mets 7-1 for a split of their day-night doubleheader.

Beltran drives in 5 runs, Santana and Mets beat Reds 12-6 (AP)

Sat, 10 May 2008 15:30:38 PDT

The refrain was the same from almost everyone in the Mets' clubhouse: Offensively, we're coming together. And how. Carlos Beltran hit a bases-loaded triple and drove in five runs, and Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider hit New York's first back-to-back homers of the season to back Johan Santana's first home win for the Mets, a 12-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a day-night...

Reds-Mets game postponed by rain, will be made up Saturday (AP)

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:42:09 PDT

If the Mets have a plan for when Pedro Martinez might be back, they're not saying. Martinez threw nearly 60 pitches Friday at the club's spring training complex in Florida, but the team still won't divulge a timetable for when the injured right-hander could return. "He was able to throw all his pitches," general manager Omar Minaya said before New York's scheduled game against Cincinnati was...

Mets activate C Castro from DL (PA SportsTicker)

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:56:19 PDT

The New York Mets on Friday activated catcher Ramon Castro from the 15-day disabled list.

Mets' Pagan day to day with bruised left shoulder (AP)

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:08:47 PDT

Mets outfielder Angel Pagan is day to day with a bruised left shoulder after a rough stretch in New York's 12-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Team spokesman Jay Horwitz said Pagan saw Dr. Strun Coleman on Thursday. New York opens a weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Maine takes shutout into ninth of 12-1 rout of Dodgers (AP)

Wed, 07 May 2008 17:52:15 PDT

It had been almost a year since a New York Mets starter pitched more than eight innings. John Maine ended that drought and his teammates made it easy for him with their second-best offensive output of the season. Maine took a shutout into the ninth and the Mets routed the Los Angeles Dodgers and Brad Penny, 12-1 on Wednesday.

Mets OF Pagan leaves game (PA SportsTicker)

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:25:12 PDT

New York Mets outfielder Angel Pagan left Wednesday's contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the bottom of the third inning with right shoulder tightness.

Pedro, El Duque, still working toward return from DL (AP)

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:24:16 PDT

Pedro Martinez is scheduled to throw a side session on Friday in Florida, another step in the pitcher's rehabilitation from a strained left hamstring. Martinez threw a side session on Tuesday, and the Mets are waiting to see how he comes out of it before his next workout. It hasn't been determined yet whether he will be throwing to hitters or just a catcher.

Status Kuo: Dodgers lefty beats Mets again 5-4 (AP)

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:49:47 PDT

In a span of about 24 hours, Blake DeWitt hit his first two home runs in the big leagues. He had to hustle a lot more to get the second one. DeWitt hit a drive in the fifth inning that right fielder Ryan Church just missed catching at the top of the right field fence. The ball stayed in play, and the two-run inside-the-park homer gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a lead they would not relinquish in a 5-4...

Reyes experiences growing pains (Yahoo! Sports)

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:52:00 PDT

First came stardom, then stumbles, but the Mets' shortstop is young and talented enough to begin all over again.

Mets CF Beltran sits out (PA SportsTicker)

Tue, 06 May 2008 20:09:48 PDT

New York Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran sat out Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to flu-like symptoms.

MLB to hold ceremonial Negro Leagues draft (AP)

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:11:00 PDT

Major League Baseball will hold a ceremonial draft of living former Negro Leagues players before its annual amateur draft June 6. Those selected will represent Negro Leaguers players who didn't have the chance to play for major league teams, the commissioner's office said Tuesday. MLB was not sure how many former Negro Leagues players are living.