Young vs. old is one of the story lines you’ll read about every spring. In the Mets’ camp this year I profiled Orlando Hernandez vs. Mike Pelfrey.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. _It’s always one of the stories of spring.
There’s the grizzled veteran combating the rigors of time with the hope of recapturing a moment from his youth.
Attempting to keep him from another summer in the sun is the young buck with no conception of time or the years ahead of him.
In the Mets’ camp it is Orlando Hernandez, penciled in as the fifth starter, who is trying to defy time and an aching right foot by reinventing himself with a new delivery.
His has been a full and eventful career, beginning with those recordless years in Cuba, then his escape to the Yankees and fame and fortune.
Hernandez is hanging on to baseball glory with the Mets, but standing in his way is Mike Pelfrey.
“I know a lot of people are saying I will go in the bullpen,’’ Hernandez defiantly said after throwing a simulated game yesterday, then tapping his chest, added, “I’m Orlando Hernandez. I’m going to the mound.’’
There are still three weeks to sort all that out, but for now the only mound Hernandez is on is in the bullpen.
The forty-something craftsman threw for roughly a half hour yesterday morning with his new-and-improved delivery designed to alleviate pressure from his right, or push-off foot.
Hernandez said, “I felt more comfortable,’’ but what he didn’t say was that he felt totally comfortable or his new delivery had become second nature.
Hernandez’s answer to when that might be was a quiet, “I don’t know.’’
Manager Willie Randolph said if Hernandez is fine today, then the next step could be a simulated game.
“Then we can see about slotting him in the rotation,’’ Randolph said.
Realistically, we might not see Hernandez for another week, but even so, he insists he’ll be ready by Opening Day.
After injury _ he will never concede to age as an opponent _ Hernandez’s biggest obstacle for the fifth spot in the rotation is Pelfrey, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft.
If Hernandez is healthy, experience and $6.5 million salary should place him in the rotation. That will be tough for Pelfrey to overcome, but if Hernandez isn’t on his game things could be wide open.
Of course, Pelfrey has to be ready to answer the door when opportunity knocks, which wasn’t the case yesterday.
“I don’t know if there is even a spot, but I didn’t help myself,’’ said Pelfrey, who gave up seven runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings in a 12-4 loss to the Florida Marlins.
Worse than giving up hits was giving into the hitters. There’s nothing that eats at a pitcher than a walk, unless it is four of them.
“That was me last year,’’ Pelfrey said. “I was falling behind in the count. I couldn’t locate my fastball. I couldn’t locate my slider.
“I’m very disappointed about today. I don’t like the free passes.’’
Mechanically, Pelfrey’s shoulder was flying open which caused his pitches to rise. That was a common thread in losing his first seven decisions last year.
“When he got in trouble he got up in the zone,’’ catcher Brian Schneider said. “He didn’t have a good feel for it.’’
8 Comments
I think poor Pelfrey has put him in position to really perform well next time out. Did they Mets say why they pitched Sosa to 3 innings? Are they making him long man or making him 5th starter if Pelfrey/El Duque don’t make it?
In the dictionary “machismo” is defined as “masculine pride”. In baseball it’s El Duque. None of us here in the USA can really know much about his early days in Cuban baseball where pitchers pitched until the end of the game no matter how long it was. There was no relief guy to come in and save your game. Nor can we really know what it was like to leave everything that was familiar to him to come to America. El Duques’ life is one of those rags to riches tales, but on the mound, he is still that Cuban pitcher that never gives up. You’ve got to admire that.
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To change the subject – for those who haven’t seen Raissman’s column this morning:
Somers’ wisdom
Steve Somers of WFAN injected his own brand of insight into this Mets injury epidemic.
Some drone called and went on and on and on about how Omar Minaya has really not made the right moves, and how the team was too old, and blah, blah, blah.
Schmoozy disagreed.
“Omar Minaya,” Somers said, “did make the Mets clubhouse wheelchair accessible.”
I don’t think El Duque is physically capable of being a decent starter for a ML club anymore. I predict he won’t give the Mets more than a handful of mediocre starts before breaking down in one way or another again.
Pelfrey will be used heavily this year and he’ll be on and off but overall better than in 2007. I wouldn’t worry about his bad start yesterday. I missed most of the game but wasn’t it Schoeneweiss who added fuel to the fire by allowing 3 inherited runners to score that were charged to Pelfrey? If so, his line is worse than how he pitched. I hope they can get rid of Schoeneweiss. He’s awful.
Unfortunately Show is not going anywhere if Mets follow their past and don’t eat salary.
I hope Willie starts looking at some stats (oops I forgot he feels it!) b/c Show is only good at this point as that lefty specialist to get that lefty out in the 6th.
I hope Pelfry’s performance was more about not being able to grip the ball b/c of the winds or that he just ran out of gas in the 3rd, than his issues with command of last yr. His slider looked good but his fastball was straight as an arrow at times. He did not look comfortable even in the first 2 inn.
I think it’s totally unfair to criticize Willie as many did last year for not using Show strictly as a LOOGY. I’m sure he knows Show’s stats facing lefties are much better. But you couldn’t use him just as a LOOGY and expect to have enough relievers to get the outs they needed to every game. Mota was crap, as was Sele. Willie didn’t have many options.
And I think it’s clear Omar didn’t give Show the big money just to be a LOOGY.
Signing him was just a mistake. A big one.
Not criticizing Willie last yr for not using Show as lefty specialist. But this yr, if the BP is stronger, there is no need to use him against righties. His 3.5MM should not dictate his use. Not if there are better alternatives (Sanchez, Wise, heilman, feliciano).
Show and Sosa should be last guys to be used. Interestingly, those two guys make more combined than the other 4.
And if Willie knows the stats he should say so. I do get tired of his “feel” and hunches.
Pelf didn’t look good yesterday. Perhaps he needs more time in AAA. There is always Sosa.
Has he ever said otherwise in regards to Show? I doubt it. I’m sure if someone asks him if he knows what Show’s stats are vs. righties and lefties, he’d say yes.
I understand that this “feel” explanation is often weak. But I think Willie does it to cut off having to explain why he really does things. When a manager tells reporters he just has a “feeling” about something, there’s not much one can say in reply to that. It’s an easy answer and I think that’s why he often uses it.
Afterall, Peterson is in the dugout with Willie every second advising him. He certainly knows the splits. It’s not something he’s not going to tell him about.