Manuel’s Making Some More Sound Decisions…

Our friend, Steve Popper, at The Record, has a column, “Going with hot bat,” that has some good tidbits…

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/mets/Mets_notes_Going_with_hot_bat.html

Jerry Manuel started Damion Easley at second base last night, rather than Luis Castillo. His reason, “He hit a game-winning home run,” Manuel said of Easley. “I ain’t going to take him out.”

He pointed out that Castillo was fine and would be in the lineup Saturday, but he also stressed that players who perform will play. “You’ve got to perform,” he said. “This is a business of performing and if you’re performing and doing the things that we want you to do it’s important that you be rewarded and understand that, hey, this is how it’s going to work.

“And I talked with Luis about that. I told him, ‘Hey, the guy is playing well. You’ll be in there tomorrow and this is what I expect of you.’ I like a little something to push a player. I like that little competition. Fire them up a little a little bit, get him going. It’s all good.”

(Fantastic !!! Reward the hot bat, Easley, but, explain to Castillo why Easley is starting, and hope to get Castillo inspired to compete for playing time, when he returns to the lineup, tonight. I love this.)

Outfield update…
Moises Alou has begun some light workouts without pain. Manuel said that Ryan Church is moving closer to a return.

“Church is jogging,” Manuel said. “When we get back he will join us for batting practice and the practice routine and then I think we’ll shoot him over to Brooklyn to get in a few games.” (Mets return on Monday, to play Seattle. Maybe, we see Church by the end of June.)

Manuel said that he will move very carefully with Alou. “Oh no question. I have to be,” “I need to get that bat back. I need to see that bat in the lineup and I’ve got to do everything I can to keep it in there and put it in there at critical times. Yeah, I’ll be very conservative with him.”

(Excellent. With Alou’s fragility, Manuel should be conservative with him. Alou, and the Mets, looked bad when they had to make a roster move to activate him, only to see Alou play one game before another roster move to disable him, and call up a replacement. I am intrigued to see what this team would look like if Alou & Church were healthy, with Nixon & Chavez as bench players.)