TODAY’S METS STARTER RHP MIKE PELFREY: Tossed 3.0 inningson February 28 vs. Washington, allowingfive hits, two runs, one earned, with onestrikeout…He is also slated to be the Mets’Opening Day starter on April 1 at FloridaLast season, Pelfrey went 15-9 with a…3.66 ERA (83 earned runs/204.0 inningspitched) in 34 games, 33 starts…He alsoearned his first career save when heclosed out the Mets’ 2-1, 20-inning win overthe St. Louis Cardinals on April 17 at BuschStadium…Closed the season strong, going2-0 with a 2.27 ERA (nine earned runs/35.2innings) in his final five starts of 2010…Wentat least 7.0 innings in all of those starts andallowed more than two runs only once…Forhis career, Pelfrey is 43-41 with a 4.31 ERA(327 earned runs/683.0 innings) in 116games, 113 starts…He has two completegames and is the only Mets starter to makeat least 30 starts in the past three seasons…Pelfrey set career highs in innings(204.0), strikouts (113), ERA (3.66), wins(15) and starts (33) last season.
MATT HARVEY TO PITCH: Righthandedpitcher Matt Harvey, the Mets 2010 firstround pick is expected to pitch today as theMets minor leaguers play Team Italy at 10:30a.m. on one of the minor league fields… Harvey went 8-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 14games as a junior last year with the University of North Carolina…In 96.0 innings,the seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft, allowed 80 hits, 42 runs, 33 earned, with 35walks and 102 strikeouts…Harvey held opponents to a .224 batting average.
MIKE PIAZZA: Former Mets All-Star catcherMike Piazza will be at the game coaching forTeam Italy against the Mets minor leaguers…Piazza played for Team Italy in the2006 World Baseball Classic and was acoach on the squad in the 2009 WBC. WHO’S HOT: NICK EVANS is hitting .429(6-14) while FERNANDO MARTINEZ is batting .600 (6-10)…DANIEL MURPHY,RUSS ADAMS and RUBEN TEJADA leadthe team with three RBI…WILLIE HARRIS ishitting .375 (3-8) with four runs scored, onehome run and two RBI…The Mets as a teamare hitting .270 (64-237)…CHRIS YOUNGhas tossed 5.0 innings without permitting anearned run…JASON ISRINGHAUSEN hasfired 2.0 scoreless frames.
