CHICAGO – Bobby Bonilla is close to going on a rehabilitation assignment. The big outfielder, who has been on the disabled list with troubled knees since July 3, said yesterday he would have been able to play the last few games if he weren’t on the list.
Bonilla, whom the Mets have alternately tried to trade and release, also said he would be willing to consider going on a minor-league rehab assignment.
“I’m open to it,” he said before yesterday’s 17-10 loss to the Cubs. “I feel good. I feel really good.”
When asked what percentage he was at, Bonilla just said, “I’m close.”
Bonilla who partially tore his posterior cruciate ligament in one knee, then hurt the other knee overcompensating, said he has been feeling much better lately, especially in the sizzling heat here in the Midwest.
“This hot weather helps,” he said. “It makes it easy to warm up. I could come back soon. Whenever they’re ready to get me going, I’ll consider going.” *Sammy Sosa reached the 40-home run plateau for the third time in his career (1996, ’98). His 284 homers in a Cubs uniform moved him past Ryne Sandberg into fourth place on the Cubs’ all-time list. It was the 36th multi-home run game of his career.
The Cubs scored 10 of their season-high 17 runs on four home runs … Gary Gaetti hit his 11th grand slam, and second of the year … The 18 hits for the Mets was a season high … Robin Ventura’s multi-homer game was the 17th of his career. *Octavio Dotel lasted only two innings, giving up nine earned runs on four hits and five walks, and was only spared the loss because the Mets tied the game 9-9 in the fifth inning. Dotel gave up a grand slam to Gaetti and a two-run homer to Sosa. “Whew!” Bobby Valentine said when asked to assess Dotel’s performance. “Obviously, it was his control. He couldn’t get the breaking ball over the plate.”
Although Dotel’s performance was terrible, it was arguably better than Masato Yoshii’s on Friday. At least Dotel made it out of the second inning; Yoshii couldn’t even do that. The veteran Japanese righthander is coming off a pretty bad performance of his own when he allowed seven runs on eight hits in 11/3 innings against the Cubs Friday.
If the Mets have to send a starter to the bullpen, Yoshii would be the most likely candidate.
