MET NOTES
MONTREAL – The least of the Mets’ worries is if Mike Piazza is going to hit. He is the only sure thing in their lineup. Piazza is slumping and manager Bobby Valentine rested him last night.
“He’s playing an awful lot,” Valentine said.
Without much protection in the lineup, Piazza entered last night in a 7-for-48 (.146) slump. He hadn’t hit a homer in 13 games and had just three RBIs over that span. His average had dropped to .254. Piazza said he was more frustrated than tired, having started nine of the last 10 games.
The Mets need a true long man/spot starter and they have one in the organization. Jersey Bobby Jones, the local lefty, is doing very well. He is scheduled to start Saturday for Port St. Lucie and then he’ll move to Triple-A Norfolk. When will he be a Met?
“All I know is I’m leaving Port St. Lucie,” Jones told The Post by phone.
Jones will throw 80 pitches Saturday in an effort to build his arm strength. He was sidelined with left rotator cuff tendinitis in the spring. Jones will make two starts at Triple-A and then could give the bullpen a boost.
If the Mets decide they can’t use Jones on the roster, he would need to clear waivers. A lefty with talent who is not making a lot of money, he could very well be picked up.
“Hopefully, I’ll be a Met,” Jones said.
Entering last night’s game, Todd Zeile’s slugging percentage was .335, while Rey Ordonez’ was .331. Zeile, who batted second the previous two games, was dropped to sixth. He entered last night without an RBI since May 7.
Because of the Marlins’ rainout last night, A.J. Burnett, the ex-Met farmhand, will start tonight at Shea. Burnett threw a no-hitter earlier this year. Kevin Appier will oppose him and Valentine thinks despite his 2-5 record Appier has pitched well. He is 0-4 in his last five starts.
“If we were hitting a little, we would’ve won most of the games he’s pitched,” said Valentine of Appier, who owns a 5.62 ERA.
Valentine’s noticed that Ordonez has been covering more ground of late.
“Lately, he’s been moving better,” Valentine said. “He seems a little quicker.”
Ordonez said he felt this was due to feeling fully adjusted after missing nearly all of last season with a fractured left forearm.
Ordonez said that his slick-looking scoop play on Vladimir Guerrero’s second-inning chopper Tuesday was unintentional. Ordonez uses a new glove almost every week so they are stiff.
The chopper behind the mound popped out of his glove and Ordonez snared it with his right hand and threw to first for the out. It was so seamless it appeared he might’ve done it on purpose.
