[h1]Daniel Murphy's Triple-A career lasts one day, gets call to Mets[/h1]
BY ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, August 1st 2008, 10:45 PM
HOUSTON -
Daniel Murphy's Triple-A career lasted one day. The 23-year-old prospect is expected to join the
Mets for Saturday night's game against the
Astros, the Daily News has learned.
A 13th-round pick in 2006 out of
Jacksonville University, Murphy is perhaps the Mets' top minor-league hitter, rivaling teenage phenom
Fernando Martinez. He's mostly played third base in his minor-league career, but has also seen action at first base, second base and left field this season.
Murphy may not be the only farmhand joining the Mets soon, either. Top minor-league pitcher
Jon Niese could debut on Aug. 11 at Shea, in a rainout makeup against the Pirates. With the Mets scheduled to play 23 straight days beginning Tuesday,
Jerry Manuel wants to give a pitcher a spot start that day to lessen the workload on his five starters.
Mets brass said it's too early to commit to a pitcher to face
Pittsburgh, and Niese should have one more Triple-A start to state his case. A 21-year-old lefthander with a big curveball, Niese allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings in his Triple-A debut Wednesday.
After Thursday's trading deadline passed,
GM Omar Minaya predicted that pitchers
Bobby Parnell and
Eddie Kunz, Murphy, Martinez and Niese could make contributions to the big-league team this season.
MAINE TIME FRAME: John Maine won't return to the rotation until Friday at Shea against the
Marlins, as Mets brass proceeds with caution after the righthander was diagnosed with a mild strain of the right rotator cuff.
After three days of inactivity, Maine said the normal "dull ache" behind his shoulder that he had been feeling between starts has disappeared. He can't be sure whether the pain will resurface, but should have a better idea once he throws a bullpen session tomorrow. Doctors told him the next step to consider would be receiving a cortisone injection, but Maine hopes that won't be necessary.
CASTILLO UPDATE: Luis Castillo played in his first rehab game yesterday, going 0-for-2 with a walk as a DH in the
Gulf Coast League. Castillo, who has been on the DL for a month with a strained left hip flexor, could return in a week. . . .
Tony Armas Jr. (1-0, 7.56 ERA), who made three appearances with the Mets, underwent hernia surgery yesterday. . . . Don't expect a meaningful contribution from
Orlando Hernandez. He's still awaiting a specially configured cleat to relieve discomfort associated with his barking right bunion and hasn't been on a mound since leaving a Double-A game on July 17. . . . Former Cubs/Giants
infielder Ramon Martinez signed a minor-league deal and was assigned to New Orleans. Martinez, 35, was released by the Dodgers on July 24 after hitting .287 in 28 games at
Triple-A Las Vegas.
Castillo's NY career is all but over.
I saw Dan play 2x and he's HUGE, he is still adjusting to playing 2B but I'd love to see him get anat bat if this game is a blowout. Its Santana Vs Oswalt so I doubt that, games at Houston are never easy.
News: Maine to Miss Start
By Regis Courtemanche - Aug 2, 2008 9:31 am
John Maine will not make his next scheduled start on Sunday against the Astros due to a strained rotator-cuff.
The Mets will also use a spot starter in a makeup game against the Pirates on August 11th. The buzz is that LHP Jon Niese will be called up from triple-A New Orleans to make the start.
Fernando needs to be promoted to AAA asap as well as Carp and Kunz, they will make our team better.
PS: Someone please tell David Wright to get his old level swing bat. He had the best swing in the entire league, and now he tries too hard and wants to pullpull pull with that uppercut swing. He is among the league leaders in RBIs but he would have 100+ right now if he had his old swing.
...and Beltran, please stop waiting for the "perfect pitch" before you swing, it wouldn't hurt to fight off bad pitches.
His bat is very good but he's still adjusting defensively.
