Maine, Mets will learn more about his injury Sunday
BY ARTHUR STAPLE AND ANTHONY RIEBER
arthur.staple@newsday.com
anthony.rieber@newsday.com
John Maine and the Mets will know more about the righthander's sore left arm either Sunday or Monday, when Maine will attempt to throw his usual between-starts bullpen session.
Maine left Friday night's start after three innings with cramps and soreness in his non-pitching arm, the second time he has had such an injury. He was not terribly eager to dissect the problem before yesterday's game, expressing his frustration with a poor start to his season (0-1, 8.64 ERA) compounded by this out-of-nowhere injury.
"It's kind of hard to wrap my head around,'' Maine said. "I didn't feel a thing until [Friday]. I'm not really sure how to prevent it from happening. I'm just going to go about my business and hope everything holds up."
Jerry Manuel said he wasn't sure if Maine will do his side work Sunday, before the Mets face the Braves in an 8:05 p.m. start, or Monday. His next scheduled start is Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Not very Chipper JonesIt was a bad 38th birthday Saturday for Mets nemesis Chipper Jones. He left the game in the third inning with a sore right hip after going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. On Friday, Jones committed two errors.
Jones, who could be headed for a DL stay, said he felt his hip pop on the "first swing, first at-bat." He stayed in as long as he could but was limping after the game. Jones said he was waiting to be examined. A diagnosis and possible length of his absence should follow.
Righthander Ryota Igarashi will depart for Port St. Lucie Sunday to begin rehabilitating his strained hamstring. He said there's no timetable for him to begin throwing, though he said he hopes to play catch within the next week and possibly throw from a mound in two weeks.
He went on the disabled list on Wednesday and is eligible to return May 6.
