August 8, 2012, New York Mets notebook for Metro Newspaper in NYC
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TOM SZCZERBOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES
Tim Byrdak.
A beleaguered bullpen absorbed a brutal body blow on Tuesday that may determine its short-and-long term future.
The Mets placed left-handed reliever Tim Byrdak on the 15-day DL Monday
with a torn anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder. It is unknown if
Byrdak will undergo season-ending surgery, but if he does, it is a
process the Mets are familiar with as Johan Santana and Chris Young each
underwent the procedure and needed a full year to recuperate from.
“I tried to call Tim—Tim Byrdak—today after I got the news about how bad
his shoulder is. Certainly feel terrible for him. He’s done nothing in
the last two years except take the baseball and get big outs for us. I
just hope he comes out of it okay and he can resume pitching,” Terry
Collins said in his pre-game press conference Tuesday afternoon at Citi
Field prior to the start of the three-game series against the Marlins.
Byrdak pitched in 128 games the last two seasons for the Mets and
allowed 31 earned runs in 68 1/3 innings. This year, the lefty
specialist had yielded just 15 earned runs in 30 2/3 innings.
“Injuries are caused by overuse,” Collins said. “Doctors have told me,
‘When they’re going to break, they’re going to break.’ It was just the
fact that he was in the role that he had to go out there a lot. We
probably used him more than we should have.”
As the Mets lose one pitcher, they may be close to having another return
as Santana threw three innings in the Brooklyn Cyclones’ 8-0 loss to
the Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals’ Single-A short-season
affiliate) Sunday afternoon. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking
out three.
Santana was placed on the 15-day DL on July 21 with what the Mets
reported was a sprained right ankle following back-to-back-to-back
losses in which he was roughed up for 13 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings
by the Cubs, Braves and Dodgers.
“It was good,” Santana said. “Feeling good, feeling 100 percent. Got my ankle some rest and, at the same time, my whole body.”
The Mets called up left-hander Garrett Olson from Triple-A Buffalo before the game.
Reyes returns to Citi
Who misses Jose Reyes?
Not the Mets. Not with the way Ruben Tejada has played this season.
“Around here we worry about our team and Jose is no longer on our team,”
Collins said. “Our shortstop has played pretty [well]. We’re very, very
fortunate that he’s had the kind of year he’s had. Had he not, I’m sure
there would have been a lot of people trying to draw comparisons or
concerned that we didn’t re-sign Jose. Fortunately, Ruben has played as
well as he has.”
In his first year as the everyday shortstop, Tejada is hitting .323 and
has a .368 on-base percentage. By comparison, Reyes has a .288 batting
average and a .351 on-base percentage.
“He accepts who he is; he doesn’t try to do more,” Collins said of
Tejada. “His ceiling, offensively, is out of sight. He’s a good hitter
and I think he’s going to learn to hit some balls out of the ballpark as
he continues to develop.
“He’s a very valuable piece to the puzzle here.”
Follow Mets beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
Follow Mets beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1149509--mets-notebook-byrdak-injured-tejada-hitting-well
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:31 AM
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