NewsRedding set to state rotation case
New York (34-33) vs. St. Louis (39-31), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Tim Britton / MLB.com
06/21/09 7:40 PM ET
NEW YORK -- Too many healthy players for one spot? That's not a problem the 2009 Mets are used to dealing with.But it's one they may be lucky enough to confront in the next two weeks. Lucky, unless you're Tim Redding.
With starting pitchers John Maine and Oliver Perez potentially coming off the disabled list in the near future, Redding's hold on a spot in the rotation is tenuous at best. Redding will try to strengthen his case when the Mets host the Cardinals on Monday night.
While Redding takes the hill at Citi Field, both Maine and Perez are scheduled to pitch in the Florida State League for the Class A St. Lucie Mets.
The Mets have been able to survive without two of their starters because of the unexpected success of Fernando Nieve. The reliever-turned-starter has been a revelation in his two starts since taking Maine's spot in the rotation, earning two wins and sporting a 1.84 ERA on the season.
The Mets have just three wins in their past 11 games, and two of them belong to Nieve.
Redding has had three solid starts and three poor ones since stepping into the rotation. The Mets, however, are just 1-5 when he takes the hill.
Manager Jerry Manuel said the Mets will probably keep Nieve in the rotation if he continues pitching so well, meaning Redding will likely be the odd man out once either Maine or Perez returns.
Manuel wasn't as sure with how he'd construct his staff when the second of his two wounded pitchers returns. Whether that starter regains his spot in the rotation will depend mainly on how Nieve continues to perform.
"Fernando Nieve has been a tremendous surprise, but we know there's been a history," Manuel said. "So we have to manage that, as well."
While Manuel did not dismiss the possibility of using either Maine or Perez out of the bullpen, he acknowledged Nieve could give the 'pen some added versatility.
"If we decide that he is a candidate for the bullpen, what he does is give us options early and late because of the success that he's had," Manuel said. "What he could do would definitely lengthen our 'pen and strengthen it. That would definitely put us in a real good spot."
The Mets could use the help in the bullpen. Setup man J.J. Putz had surgery on his right elbow on June 9, and his replacement, Bobby Parnell, appears to have hit a wall during his first full season in the Majors. After putting together a 1.96 ERA through the day Putz had surgery, Parnell has surrendered 10 earned runs in his past four innings. The last seven batters to face Parnell are 6-for-6 with a walk.
"What I need to do is really refresh the bullpen. I probably, to a fault, have used them too much," Manuel said after Sunday's loss to the Rays. "I take full responsibility for that."
At the same time, it could be a long two weeks until Maine or Perez returns to add depth to the staff. Maine was initially scheduled to come off the disabled list Monday before being pushed back, while Perez has already aggravated the patellar tendinitis in his right knee during a rehab start in May.
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Tim Redding (0-2, 6.27 ERA)
Despite allowing baserunners in every inning and serving up Matt Wieters' first career home run, Redding escaped with a no-decision after 5 1/3 innings against the Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. It was his least effective outing of June. He had produced a 2.77 ERA in his preceding two starts. This start comes against the team that tagged him for six runs in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision last season. Redding hasn't beaten the Cardinals since 2004. He had no decisions in his past two starts against them. Albert Pujols has a .407 average and six extra-base hits in 27 career at-bats against Redding.
Wellemeyer, in dire need of a good showing, produced a pretty good one in his most recent start Wednesday against the Tigers. Now the trick is doing it again. It's not as though his pitching has been poor all season. He's put together a good start or two here and there. What he hasn't been able to do is sustain quality pitching over a more extended period. If he can limit the damage in potential big innings, as he did against the Tigers, that would be an important second step. Wellemeyer allowed 10 hits and four runs in five innings against the Mets on April 21; the Cardinals won, he didn't.
Tidbits
Brian Schneider hit his second three-run homer in as many starts, connecting off Joe Nelson in the sixth inning Sunday to give the Mets a short-lived 5-4 lead. ... Sunday marked the fifth time New York has allowed 10 runs or more this season. It was the second straight Sunday the Mets had given up double digits. ... David Wright broke out of a 1-for-17 slump with a 3-for-5 day Sunday. ... With a fourth-inning double Sunday, Gary Sheffield has now hit safely in his past eight starts.
This date in Mets history -- June 22: Is this when people began to take the '69 Mets seriously? They swept a doubleheader from the Cardinals at Shea on this date, winning, 5-1, behind Gary Gentry and, 1-0, behind Jerry Koosman. After a day off June 23, they swept the Phillies in a doubleheader also at Shea Stadium, winning, 2-1, behind Tom Seaver and, 5-0, behind Jim McAndrew. The four starters' combined ERA for the doubleheaders was 0.54.
Anthony Young's record reached 0-9 in 1993 en route to its final 1-16. Young allowed six runs -- three earned -- in six innings, as the Mets lost to Expos, 6-3, at Shea Stadium. New York was in the midst of a mind-numbing 2-17 sequence.
In 2003, Armando Benitez walked four batters and threw a wild pitch in the ninth inning to squander a lead, and two innings later, the Mets allowed four more runs against Graeme Lloyd and Dan Wheeler, and lost, 7-3, to the Yankees at Shea.
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• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Tuesday: Mets (Livan Hernandez, 5-1, 4.18) vs. Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 5-8, 3.76), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Mets (Fernando Nieve, 2-0, 1.84) vs. Cardinals (Brad Thompson, 2-2, 3.89), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Mets (Johan Santana, 8-5, 3.22) vs. Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 5-1, 1.53), 1:10 p.m. ET
Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
