Mets' feel-good day: Healthy lineup, walk-off win
Ike Davis hits a sacrifice fly in the first inning of a spring training game against the Yankees. (April 3, 2012) Credit: AP
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The morning began with Terry Collins scrambling to quickly evaluate his injured players and see if they were ready to play against the Yankees.
Andres Torres? Check.
Frank Francisco? Check.
Tim Byrdak? Check.
The lineup was posted around 9:30 Tuesday, roughly 90 minutes later than usual, but there was nothing usual about it. At last, after six weeks of Valley Fever, calf strains and knee surgeries, the lineup was just as Collins had imagined it back in January. "It's really positive that we're healthy," Collins said. "As we got deeper into camp, I wasn't sure I wasn't going to face the same thing I did last year -- and that is never put them on the field at the same time. I think Thursday, we'll be able to do that."
Not only that, the day had a happy ending. Ike Davis drilled a walk-off home run that soared high over the right-centerfield wall to deliver a 7-6 Mets win in this spring's final game at Digital Domain Park. He carefully flipped his helmet a few feet from home plate and did a short bunny hop into the middle of his teammates.
No sense getting hurt now.
"It's always nice to hit a ball hard," said Davis, who still enters the season needing to monitor what is believed to be a case of Valley Fever. "I haven't really hit a ball like that all spring, so it was nice to end the last real game."
Torres, who had been sidelined since March 20 with a calf strain, went 1-for-1 from the leadoff spot but also was nailed on the left foot with a slider. That turned out to be nothing, and Collins just wanted to pull him early, anyway, after he played nine innings the previous day.
"The one guy we were really concerned about was Andres because he's wound pretty tight," Collins said. "We didn't know if the calf was going to be very good, but it's fine and we're happy with it."
Byrdak proved himself ready for the opener in the final week and capped it with a scoreless inning Tuesday -- after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee March 13. "If you guys want to write something nice about [trainer] Ray Ramirez, that would be good," Byrdak said, "because he's probably going to get booed on Opening Day."
Maybe not so much this time, as the Mets look to have their expected roster intact. One of the bigger, literally, question marks was Francisco, who revealed that he had his left knee drained and also needed a cortisone shot Sunday.
The only thing the Mets would say about Monday's MRI was that it was negative, or unchanged, from any of his previous ones. "It's a sore knee; it seems to be better," Sandy Alderson said. "The MRI really didn't show anything."
But could it be a continuing problem beyond Opening Day?
"It could be, yeah," Alderson said. "Especially for a guy who weighs 260 pounds."
Francisco, who is listed at 250, was limited to a bullpen session Tuesday, with the cortisone shot needing another day or two to start taking effect. But he fully expects to pitch better than his 5.54 ERA in 11 appearances. "The only difference [between spring training and regular season] I think is the scouting report -- you go out there with a plan and you know what you're going to do. You know the hitters' weakness. I come from a different league. I don't know anybody here, so next time I go up there, I'm going to go with an idea."
The Mets can worry about results later. For now, they are thrilled to have the original pieces in place, something Collins never had for one game last season. "Good," Alderson said. "We have a one-day streak going."
