The John Maine Watch

Mets fans breathed another sigh of relief yesterday as potential #2 starter John Maine pitched in a game for the first time since surgery ended his 2008 season.

The surgery involved removing a bone spur in his throwing shoulder and, in the eyes of many, was one of the main reasons the Mets failed to win the NL East or secure a playoff spot.

Maine looked good in allowing only 1-hit over 2 scoreless frames. He had 2 Ks and only walked one.

"My arm feels great. My body feels great," Maine said. "I just feel like it's been such a long time. The mechanics are a little off and I was rusty a little bit, but other than that, and more importantly, my arm feels good."

"I worked hard in the winter, going through the rehab and all the therapy and all that to be able to come out here and have no setbacks, so I am happy with it and I am happy with where I am at right now," Maine said.

Maine has also been gradually increasing his arm strength with side sessions, and the Mets are carefully monitoring his progress.

"John Maine was throwing strikes," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "He hadn't been out there in a while, and he let the ball go. He pitched, so it's definitely for him, and for us obviously, a big step in the right direction."

If the Mets are to contend in the NL, John Maine will have to have a year similar to his 2007, when he went 15-10 over 32 starts and threw close to 200 innings.

That said, he is still something of a hit or miss proposition in 2009.

As most Mets fans know, Maine has a great deal of difficulty stretching his starts past the 6th inning. Even in 2007, his best season, he only went past the 6th inning 12 times in those 32 starts. Moreover, in 2008, he only went more than 6 innings 5 times in 25 starts.

The 2009 FanGraphs projections are not very optimistic...you can read them here.

All that said, yesterday was another good sign for a pitcher that always, and I mean always, gives 110%.