Bullpen Potpourri

There was a baseball game in between Tim Tebow sound bites on Monday.

And in that baseball games, the results were hot and cold. Jeurys Familia had his first outing in the spring, and more importantly than giving up a run because he didn’t cover first base right away, the balls hit off him were absolutely tattooed up the middle. If that was a rust shaking outing, then get ready because when he comes back from his inevitable suspension, he’ll have a couple more.

Rafael Montero, on the other hand, pitched a stellar two innings against the Houston Astros, as did Hansel Robles. Both pitchers can play important roles in the bullpen with Familia’s suspension looming … Robles especially. While Montero’s shine has dulled a bit, if he can regain some control and stop walking people (he had very good command on Monday), there just might be a role for him.

Now Tom Gorzellany, on the other hand, didn’t help himself. He’s fancied as a lefty specialist, but against the Astros in the ninth inning he gave up a hit and a walk to lefties to lead off the frame, and then A.J. Reed smacked an RBI single to right to tie the game at 2-2. So three lefties against Gorzellany, three baserunners. He wasn’t great against the righties either. He walked righty Anibal Sierra (a sub-rookie ball player who didn’t even have a name on the back of his jersey) to give up the lead, and then a two run single to Tony Kemp to end his nightmare as the Mets lost 5-2.

By no means will any of these outings decide the future of any of these pitchers on their own, but for Gorzellany especially, it’s a horrible way to stumble out of the gate. And if he keeps this up, he’ll be Tebow’s batting practice pitcher before long.