Mets Left With Little More Than Optimism

NEW YORK – Now batting cleanup for the Mets: faith. Hitting fifth: hope. But how many runs can they drive in?

"You have to believe that somebody is going to catch fire and hopefully pick up some slack," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said Monday after the team placed center fielder Carlos Beltran on the disabled list.

"There is no doubt that this is going to be very challenging for us."

To recap: the Mets are without Beltran (fourth in the NL with a .336 average), first baseman Carlos Delgado and shortstop Jose Reyes.

That's three of the top five hitters from the Opening Day lineup and three guys who combined to score more than 40 percent of the team's runs in 2008.

Oh yeah, the Mets also have 40 percent of their starting rotation on the DL, in John Maine and Oliver Perez, with set-up man J.J. Putz on the shelf as well.

The Mets went into Monday's game having already lost 12 of 18. So how about a trade before things spiral further out of control?

"It wouldn't shock me if Omar's got something big planned," said a person who has worked with general manager Omar Minaya. "Something's got to be shaken up."

Said Minaya: "You wish you were able to find something that's a fit. ... You have to continue to have conversations with clubs and see if you can find that fit."

For now, to replace Beltran on the roster, the Mets recalled prospect Fernando Martinez from Triple-A. Martinez had been sent down last Friday after failing an 18-game trial with a .194 average.

"We'll take a look at Martinez in center field," Manuel said, "and we'll go from there."

For Monday's game against the Cardinals, the Mets had Jeremy Reed in center, batted Fernando Tatis (two homers, 13 RBI in 121 at-bats) cleanup and Ryan Church (two homers, 15 RBI in 170 at-bats) fifth.

"We hope that it's only two weeks" before Beltran returns from the bone bruise in his right knee, Minaya said, but he also admitted it could continue through the All-Star break.

The pitching might be on the mend, as Maine went four innings Monday for Single-A St. Lucie, with Perez also scheduled to pitch. And that has Manuel encouraged.

"I still believe if you've got good pitching," he said, "you've got a shot."

But the bullpen has been so overworked lately that the Mets on Monday also called up two relievers, righty Elmer Dessens and lefty Pat Misch (claimed off waivers this month from the Giants), and Manuel had to force himself to try to rest Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green and Bobby Parnell – which left the eighth innng to Brian Stokes.

So about all the Mets have going for them now is a Philadelphia cold spell that has allowed them to stay within two games of the NL East.

"We have to be optimistic that we can stay competitive," Manuel said.

"We have to guard against that particular mindset that might permeate the clubhouse: 'Man, there's not much left. What's going on? I don't know if we can survive this or not.' "

In that light, Manuel was asked if he was going to address his team – what's left of it – about surviving this ordeal (rhymes with DL).

"I probably will do it in the next day or so, no question," Manuel said. "It depends on the spirit tonight. I'm going to watch the team, see how the team responds, see how they react. If they don't react in a positive way ... then I have to come in [and say,] 'This is how we're going to approach this. And this is what it's going to take for us to get through it.'

"I think the spirit of the team is the biggest challenge. Because if the spirit is right, you know you're going to get a fight."