RealGM

ST. LOUIS - Of all the Mets, Shawn Green might be the one needing the hottest start.

With Lastings Milledge on the roster, there would be the inevitable whispers if Green gets off to his usual slow start.

Green took off some of the edge with two hits in the season opener, but was hitless in four at-bats in last night's 4-1 victory over the Cardinals.

Green's night included two strikeouts, one coming in the sixth with runners at second and third and one out.

Manager Willie Randolph said Green would be in the lineup tonight against Cardinals right-handed pitcher Braden Looper.

"It's early in the season, and guys have to get into a groove,'' Randolph said. "I have confidence in Greenie. In my mind, I'm not going to overreact. He needs to get a chance to get in a groove.''

Green hit .149 in spring training, which is a norm for him. Two hits Opening Day helped, but he's still not there.

"I've never been a fast starter," Green said. "Sometimes, there were weeks in spring training when I didn't get two hits.''

Randolph said Green could do himself a favor by not thinking too much at the plate.

Yogi Berra once said you can't hit and think at the same time, and Green puts his mind into overdrive.

"He likes to analyze things,'' Randolph said. "He's a guy who thinks about things more than he should."

Lo Duca contract: Randolph has no plans to talk with catcher Paul Lo Duca about his contractual situation.

Lo Duca will be a free agent after the season, and said he wants to stay with the Mets. However, the team won't do anything until the offseason.

"I don't see any reason to touch that,'' Randolph said of the issue.

As long as it doesn't affect Lo Duca's play, Randolph said he would keep quiet.

Brownsville's Finest wrote:booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Brownsville's Finest wrote:booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

blueNorange wrote:Majorleads isn't gonna like this ... not one bit.

blueNorange wrote:Majorleads isn't gonna like this ... not one bit.

majorleads wrote:-= original quote snipped =-





Well like LTK says, it's not the end of the world because we have an incredibly deep team. I'd be pissed off if this was the 2003 Mets and we were sticking with Green.

Although Willie says he's sticking with Green today, ask him the same question a week from now....after Green gets booed out of Shea Stadium. Willie won't have to make the decision, the fans will. And the fans want to see Milledge, not Green.

And Green looks like he's trying to yank everything out of the ballpark. He's sooo offbalanced at the plate. Throw him a changeup away and he's done.

blueNorange wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

It isn't the end of the world because Green doesn't effect the Mets team let alone he isn't considered the main RBI man on the team. He's here because he's a veteran and will give you a solid .270 batting average.

I doubt Green will get booed because Green is jewish and NYC has a high population of jewish people let alone Met fans so he's kinda popular. If he does get booed then I'll feel really bad for him because he doesn't deserve it ......... nobody deserves to get booed, not even Kaz Matsui(who's httin .333 with the Rockies). With the said I'd rather have Green off the bench and playing backup 1B than Julio Franco.

Green does look like he's trying to hit a homer everytime and it pisses me off ...... looks like he's just another player who can't accept the fact that he isn't the power hitter he once was. IMO Green should change his approach at the plate and to just hit where the pitch is pitched and don't worry about hitting a homer.

BTW Green should start tonight because he's 5 for 9 in his career against Pooper.