New York Mets Karma: Taking a Turn for The Worse

By BEN SHPIGEL Published: August 22, 2006

Pedro Martínez blurted out a remark three weeks ago that seemed offhand then, but poignantly prescient now.

The Mets would have been wise to heed his facetious request — and do the same for the whole team, not thawing it until October. That would have prevented an astonishing string of hard luck for a team leading its division by 13½ games. The latest such misfortune is also the most troubling.

Tom Glavine , the Mets' reliable left-hander, is being tested to determine why his left ring finger started feeling cold after his start last Wednesday in Philadelphia. An angiogram is expected to reveal whether an artery is blocked, but the Mets said they would probably not receive results until later this week.

The source of the problem is probably a blood clot in his left shoulder, and doctors have assured the 40-year-old Glavine that his ailment is not life threatening. If surgery is needed, it would almost certainly end his season and would jeopardize the Mets' chances of advancing to the World Series out of the mediocre National League.

Until now, the Mets have played as if unaffected by the issues swirling around them. Coming off a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies , the Mets are 13-7 since July 30. That is when Martínez uttered his words and the Mets' bad luck started.

Late that night in Miami, Duaner Sánchez was in a taxicab accident that left him with a separated shoulder and the Mets without their top setup reliever for the rest of the season. On Aug. 9, Cliff Floyd was placed on the disabled list with Achilles' tendinitis, and his sister, Shanta, died of cancer last week.

Last Monday, Martínez strained his right calf muscle. He was placed on the disabled list two days later and may not return for another few weeks. Throughout all this, Paul Lo Duca has had to deal with headlines divulging sordid details of his pending divorce and allegations that he has a gambling problem.

Even if Glavine can control his condition with blood thinners or a less-invasive procedure than surgery, the Mets are not expecting him to make his next scheduled start, Saturday against the Phillies . They would then choose between two options at Class AAA Norfolk — Brian Bannister or Oliver Pérez.

Bannister has allowed one run in his past 14 innings, and his 30-day rehabilitation assignment for his recurring hamstring problems is nearing an end at Norfolk. The Mets must decide by Thursday whether to option him to Norfolk or activate him from the 60-day disabled list and recall him.

Pérez, acquired with Roberto Hernández from Pittsburgh for Xavier Nady on July 31, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Saturday. After a rough beginning at Norfolk, he has struck out 18 and walked 3 in his past two starts.

“He's not getting behind in the count a lot, like he was in his first start,” Norfolk Manager Ken Oberkfell said in a telephone interview. “He's got great stuff. With him, it's a matter of commanding his pitches, and he's been doing a much better job at that recently.”

Like Pérez, Bannister is a known quantity. He won the fifth starter's job out of spring training and pitched well in five starts before straining his hamstring April 26. Pérez has struggled the past two seasons, but he won 12 games and had 239 strikeouts for the Pirates in 2004.

The winner of this minicompetition would slide nicely into a rotation with Steve Trachsel, John Maine, Orlando Hernández and, for the next few starts, Dave Williams.

The Mets have stockpiled major-league-ready pitchers, but they are almost certainly not willing to part with any in a deal for Arizona outfielder Shawn Green. The Mets are still pursuing Green, a nice complementary piece who could help if Floyd's tendinitis lingers. They are waiting to hear how much of the $11.5 million remaining on Green's contract the Diamondbacks would assume.

Inside Pitch

Jeremy Barfield, the Mets' ninth-round draft pick, was arrested Sunday morning and charged with assault. The police said that Barfield pushed his father, the former major league outfielder Jesse Barfield, down the stairs of their suburban Houston home, according to an article in The Houston Chronicle yesterday. Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said: “We've heard about it, but we're still trying to learn what happened. We're going to wait and see before we decide anything.” ... Catcher Ramón Castro felt discomfort in his left knee while stretching before last night's game with Class A Brooklyn. He was taken to the Hospital for Special Surgery for tests.