This week in Washington, Cliff Floyd is expecting the best – but bracing for the worst.
“I’m expecting good, clean baseball,” said Floyd, who was 3-for-18 with six strikeouts against Dontrelle Willis and was given yesterday off. “I think if Pedro [Martinez] hits [Jose Guillen], we’re going to fight.
Floyd has never understood that when a pitcher hits a position player, a position player on another team is targeted.
He said he’d be seething if his team had been hit six times in a series, as the Nationals were.
“But my point over there is, hit the guy who’s throwing,” Floyd said. “He’s going to pitch again, sooner or later.
The Mets left fielder nearly charged the mound against Houston’s Roy Oswalt last season, and he acknowledged talking about retaliating (as he did at the time) is nonsense that must stop.
Batting .200 (3-for-15) this season, Floyd worked on his mechanics in the indoor cage before the 3-2 victory over Florida.
The Mets realigned their rotation after Saturday’s rainout, and Victor Zambrano will start Thursday in Washington. Zambrano (strained left hamstring) was originally scheduled to start yesterday.
Brian Bannister and Pedro Martinez will stay on turn and pitch Tuesday and Wednesday. Tom Glavine and Steve Trachsel will flip-flop and work on Friday and Saturday so Glavine can stay on turn.
Carlos Delgado was inconspicuous during the seventh-inning rendition of “God Bless America,” when a handful of his teammates stood on the top step or above it. . . . Saturday’s rain washed away starts for Chris Woodward and Ramon Castro. Yesterday, Paul Lo Duca and Anderson Hernandez were back at catcher and second base, respectively. “We’ve got an off-day [today], and I didn’t want guys playing every day to get three days off,” Willie Randolph said. “That’s just the way it works out.” The Mets play day games after night games on Thursday and Saturday, so Castro should start a couple of games. Woodward pinch-hit in the sixth and whiffed against Willis.