Maine Deserved an Inning

I was at the game last night--right behind the Mets dugout--so I witnessed Maine's warmup, his sequence to Nyjer Morgan, and the look on his face as he got pulled.

I saw him walking directly toward us, and his angry reaction at getting pulled.

Jerry Manuel needed a win last night, desperately needed a win, but with the Yankees and Phillies on the horizon for the next few games, he also needs his bullpen.

Takahashi is pitching tonight, and the odds of him going deep are slim to none--6 innings will be a miracle.

Main looked bad on his first few pitches, and better after...then he gets pulled.

Dan Warthan calls him a habitual liar--Jerry had the BP warming up before the game started.

It was not a very good scene.

"When you throw your first pitch and you see a guy warming up in the bullpen, it's a lose-lose situation," Maine said.

"He wanted to pitch," Manuel said. "We got in a heated exchange about that and I tried to tell him I was trying to protect his best interests."

Said Maine: "I didn't get a chance (to make a case to remain in the game). I think that's what I'm most upset about. They said they saw something so they were taking me out. I'm a little hurt by that."

Maine deserved one of two things--an inning or to stay in until a run scored.

He got neither.

This final quote is the most telling--it shows just how much Jerry Manuel has lost this club:

Asked if he thought Manuel had confidence in him, the pitcher said. "I'm sure he doesn't have confidence in me. Whatever. My dealings are with Dan."

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