It continues to baffle my mind why the Mets continue to so poorly handle Church's situation. Did they really need to announce to the world that Sheffield is starting on Wednesday? Now, they've created this uncomfortable situation where they are basically sitting down the Mets' best hitter so far in 2009. Bob Shpigel talked about Church's awkward situation in the NY Times.
Once again, Ryan Church is off to a spectacular start, batting .423 for the Mets and making juggling catches in right field. But he is not scheduled to be in the starting lineup Wednesday night against the San Diego Padres.
Instead, he will be benched in favor of Gary Sheffield, who did not play the outfield in spring training for Detroit because he never thought he would be asked to do so during the season, by the Mets.
Still, ready or not, Sheffield will be in right field at Citi Field, manning what could be one of the trickiest corners in baseball, with an upper-deck overhang and assorted quirky angles. And the left fielder will be Daniel Murphy, who is still learning on the job.
Add in a fly-ball starting pitcher like Oliver Perez, who is scheduled to start Wednesday, and Manager Jerry Manuel may be leaving himself open to second-guessing if the game is filled with miscues.
“You can practice, practice, practice, but eventually you have to play,” Manuel said before Monday’s game when asked why Sheffield would be playing for Church. “You have to get on the field. I do think that at this point, with him not playing a couple years in right field or any outfield, that we almost have to take it like a spring training deal.
“We have to put him out here, we have to watch him play. And if there’s a chance for us to defend for him later, we’ll do that.”
They could have avoided a lot of problems by platooning Daniel Murphy w/ Tatis or Sheffield. This way Church gets his playing time and won't unnecessarily sit out just to give Sheffield some at-bats.
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