MET NOTES
Carlos Beltran did not play in yesterday’s 7-3 win over the Padres, and although he said he could have, the All-Star center fielder said his right knee was ailing.
On July 14 at Wrigley Field, Beltran left the game with a sore right knee. He revealed yesterday that following the road trip to Chicago and Cincinnati, he underwent an MRI and “they said that there was inflammation there, tendinitis and they said it was nothing major.”
Beltran’s first day off since that game at Wrigley was yesterday. He said he would play tonight in Washington.
“[The medical advice was] that I need to be smart, that there are going to be days where I’m going to have big pain and I just need to let the trainers know,” Beltran said. “But every day I just feel something there, but [yesterday] I feel like it was sore, and I just took treatment the whole day.”
Endy Chavez played center field instead of Beltran.
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With Cliff Floyd on the DL, Michael Tucker – who took his spot on the roster – played left field yesterday and had an assist when he threw out Dave Roberts at second base in the third inning.
Tucker also hit an RBI double in the seventh, finishing 1-for-4.
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The fans at Shea booed in the ninth inning when catcher Josh Bard came to the plate, desiring to see Mike Piazza instead (Piazza didn’t play). The same thing happened when Bard singled and Geoff Blum came up.
Piazza received cheers when he was shown on the Shea screen after the bottom of the sixth inning. The former Mets star tipped his cap.
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Brian Bannister (strained right hamstring) was set to pitch last night in Triple-A in his fourth rehab outing . . . Anderson Garcia, who had been designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, was claimed by the Orioles.