Isringhausen keeps pitching well for Mets
Mets relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen throws during a spring training game against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2011) Credit: AP
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- With each successful Grapefruit League appearance, Jason Isringhausen is getting closer to a spot in the Mets' Opening Day bullpen.
Isringhausen threw a scoreless inning Friday in the Mets' 10-0 victory over the Marlins to lower his spring training ERA to 1.80. A comeback that seemed unlikely when he signed with the Mets after a tryout Feb. 15 is inching closer to reality.
Isringhausen's first pitch Friday was a fastball at 93 mph. He said it's probably not going to get any faster. With 293 career saves, the 38-year-old doesn't need to prove he knows how to pitch. He needs to prove he can stay healthy. And not just to the Mets.
"I still have to prove it to myself continuously," he said. "If I make the team, I need to be there for the full year. I don't want to be there for two months and then break down. I'm happy where I am now, but I know I've got work to do."
Isringhausen, who broke in with the Mets as a starter in 1995, last pitched in the majors in 2009 -- only eight games with the Rays before Tommy John surgery. While healing, he wasn't sure if he was going to try to play again this season.
"I was home playing softball with all the guys from my daughter's church school," he said. "Playing the outfield and I was throwing the ball and I said, 'I feel pretty good.' Come Jan. 1, I said, 'I'm going to get on the mound and see what happens.' I went about that process and felt pretty good, so I called my agent and said, 'Why don't we see if we can find somewhere I can throw?' And here we are."
Where are we exactly? At the point where opportunity meets desperation. The Mets have an unsettled bullpen -- only Francisco Rodriguez, Bobby Parnell and D.J. Carrasco are guaranteed jobs -- and Isringhausen is one of seven or eight candidates for the other four spots.
"I don't think about it," he said. "It's a better scenario than it was at the beginning of spring because I've proven I'm somewhat healthy. And we'll just keep going at it and we'll let the powers that be make that decision later."
Notes & quotes:Backup catcher Ronny Paulino arrived in Port St. Lucie on Friday after being delayed for weeks in the Dominican Republic because of visa issues. Paulino will report to camp Saturday. "We're going to push the envelope the next couple weeks to get him ready as soon as possible," manager Terry Collins said. Paulino will miss the first eight games of the season as he finishes a 50-game suspension for PED use . . . Prospects Ruben Tejada, Fernando Martinez and Kirk Nieuwenhuis were among 11 players sent to the minor-league camp in the first cuts of spring training. Collins said Tejada will play shortstop for Triple-A Buffalo and will not be considered for the Mets' second-base opening. "I want him playing shortstop," Collins said. Of Martinez, who is hitting .364, Collins said: "He could come back Opening Day, to be honest. There's no telling . . . if Carlos [Beltran] couldn't start the season or something else, if we have to disable somebody, you can bring those guys back." Beltran (knee) said he hopes to take batting practice Sunday.
