Mets notebook: Acosta to pen, fans chant for Reyes
Fans hold up signs in reference to the trade rumors surrounding shortstop Jose Reyes at Citi Field. (June 3, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Acosta to help bullpen
Manny Acosta came up from Buffalo to take Mike O'Connor's bullpen spot. Acosta was 1-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 201/3 innings in Triple-A. With O'Connor down, the Mets have only one lefthander in the pen.
"His velocity, which has always been good, is up to 94, 96," Collins said of Acosta. "He's throwing strikes, and as you guys have seen, we've been facing those guys on other teams and it's important we have one of those guys, too."
As for O'Connor, Collins expects to see his lefty back at some point.
"With this guy, it's all about command," Collins said. "I bet you last year I didn't see him throw 10 balls above the waist. As we saw in the last week, he threw 10 above the waist in a week. I want to get him down there, get him pitching again, because ultimately, we're going to need that second lefty."
To make room for Acosta on the 40-man roster, the Mets transferred Chris Young from the 15-day to the 60-day DL.
Fans chant for Reyes
A group of orange-clad fans stood on the bridge above the Mets' bullpen in right-centerfield in the fifth inning and called out for Jose Reyes. Some wore T-shirts and some carried signs imploring the Mets not to trade the shortstop. Reyes looked a bit perplexed as the fans chanted "Jose" while he was in the field.
