PHOENIX – The Mets were without both Moises Alou and Carlos Beltran in yesterday’s starting lineup, with both outfielders ailing.
Alou has been battling a hurt left knee, and yesterday he didn’t play for the third straight day. Beltran’s left quad is “a little sore,” and in fact, he said it’s been that way for a week.
Beltran, who said an MRI showed nothing, pinch hit yesterday and said he’ll play tonight. Alou, who came out of Thursday’s game because of the knee (he has arthritis and a mildly torn meniscus), saw a doctor yesterday.
“He saw less fluid than two days ago,” Alou said, “so he was a little encouraged.”
Alou’s aiming to play tonight in San Francisco.
Asked about going on the DL, Alou replied: “I don’t know. Walking around, I don’t think so. But I won’t find out till I go out there and try to play.”
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Starting tonight, the Mets will face Barry Bonds, who went into last night 11 homers from tying Hank Aaron’s all-time record of 755. Scott Schoeneweis, one of the Mets’ two lefty specialists, has had great success against Bonds (1-for-7, no homers) and is almost sure to face him in the three-game set.
Schoeneweis, however, insists his approach against Bonds doesn’t deviate from that against other batters.
“I kind of come from the school of I treat everybody the same,” he said yesterday. “When I come in, it’s the situation and it doesn’t matter who it is. It’s an equally important task to get them out.
“That being said . . . the guy’s one of the [greatest] or the greatest player to put on a uniform. So you know that going in. But when the bat’s in the hand, I pitch him the same as I would pitch a Dave Roberts.”
Bonds’ first test against the Mets tonight will be against Oliver Perez, who’s given up one single to Bonds in seven at-bats.