Just up from the clubhouse. Paul Lo Duca is out. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. “It just doesn’t make any sense to play this early when you’re not 100 percent,’’ Willie Randolph said.
Here’s the line-up:
SS Jose Reyes
CF Carlos Beltran
LF Moises Alou
1B Carlos Delgado
3B David Wright
RF Shawn Green
C Ramon Castro
2B Jose Valentin
RHP Orlando Hernandez
Randolph said he likes speed at the top of the order, which is why he went with Beltran second. Randolph made out three lineups—Green hit second in another—and said he went with his gut in choosing this one.
4 Comments
Seems like this might be a nice night to bat D-Wright second, just to give him a little taste.
Actually, Green has had much success as a two hitter. He is also going deep into ab’s compared to other hitters.
This is awesome- Beltrán hitting second. He did it with KC (an irrelevant point), and is in my opinion the hitter best suited for that role on the Mets. I said as much during the spring training Wright/LoDuca discussions (where I favored Wright, but not as much as Beltran). I just can’t say how bad it is to bat Shawn Green or José ValentÃÂn there… it’s the same reason why Paul LoDuca is not a #2 hitter, no matter how many times coaches, sportswriters and announcers say it, and fans repeat it.
The Mets should have this line-up every day. Beltran is the best hitter we got and Reyes is either number two or even one. Those are the guys I want getting the most at-bats. Alou looks good enough to be a three hitter and he has been for many, many years in his career. Obviously Delgado at clean-up and David Wright at 5 follows perfectly as does Green, the catcher, and Valentin.
This line-up strikes fear into the hearts of many opposing pitchers if you ask me.