Parnell goes on DL
Bobby Parnell signing autographs during spring training at Digital Domain stadium. (Feb. 20, 2011) Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa
Mets reliever Bobby Parnell was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Wednesday, after an angiogram revealed that a local clot is causing numbness in his right middle finger. The righthander will be treated with aspirin to thin out the blood. It's unclear when Parnell, who is 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA in eight games, will return.
The Mets also could be without Angel Pagan for several days after the centerfielder pulled a muscle in his left side during his fifth-inning at-bat Thursday night.
In the previous inning, Pagan and Justin Turner collided going after a fly ball. But Pagan, who said his left pinky immediately went numb, said the collision did not cause the side injury. "It's nothing bad," he said. "Maybe I'll be out two or three days. We have to wait and see."
Alderson: No trades now
The Mets must rescue themselves, because help won't be coming in the form of trades or minor-league call-ups, GM Sandy Alderson said before Thursday night's game. It's too early in the season for other teams to be orchestrating deals, and even if he did have options, he said he's not sure he'd pull the trigger.
"Certain players are not performing up to our expectations, or their own expectations," he said. "There's a lot of room for improvement individually and collectively. We're probably better off waiting for that to happen than doing something precipitous that interrupts that."
Alderson called the Mets' play a "nightly crucible," adding that it's difficult to keep perspective when the losing becomes "all-consuming." When informed that Citi Field fans have been spotted wearing paper bags over their heads, he said: "I recall that phenomenon originated in New Orleans, and not too long ago, they won the Super Bowl. So things do change."
He also supported R.A. Dickey's comments after Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Astros. "I think that was very candid and heartfelt," he said. "I was happy to hear it coming from a player . . . At some point you have to stop talking and start playing."
Extra bases
Chris Young (biceps tendintis) felt good after throwing 57 pitches in three simulated innings . . . Brad Emaus cleared waivers and was accepted by Toronto and assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas. The second baseman was selected from the Jays in December's Rule 5 draft. The Mets paid $50,000 when they drafted Emaus and will receive half of that sum back.
