MILWAUKEE – This afternoon Brian Lawrence will make his Mets debut, getting called up to replace Jorge Sosa in the starting rotation.
Lawrence, a 31-year-old right-hander at Triple-A, missed last season and will be back in the majors for the first time since Sept. 29, 2005 with the Padres. He had shoulder surgery on his labrum last year.
This season at New Orleans, Lawrence is 8-2 with a 3.87 ERA.
“I think he’s earned it,” said Mets assistant GM John Ricco of Lawrence’s promotion. Lawrence is 49-61 in his career but his ERA is a decent 4.10.
“I read the reports every day and he’s been throwing the ball well,” Willie Randolph said of Lawrence. “He’s a veteran guy.”
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Sosa, who had been listed as today’s starter until Tuesday, made his first relief appearance of the season Tuesday night in the Mets’ 4-2, 13-inning loss to the Brewers. The right-hander said he was informed of his role change in a meeting Sunday. “I’m [probably] going to be the long man, spot starter, maybe the guy to pitch the seventh inning,” Sosa said.
Sosa has struggled recently and his ERA has climbed from 2.64 on June 8 to 4.48. The Mets are hoping a move to the bullpen can help Sosa rediscover his earlier form.
With the Mets needing reliable relief options other than Billy Wagner, Pedro Feliciano and Aaron Heilman, it’s probably worth seeing whether Sosa can be effective in the bullpen because once Pedro Martinez returns, Sosa would have been the first to head to the pen. Randolph said Sosa is very versatile and can be a long reliever or a short one. Sosa has pitched 119 of his 207 career games in relief.
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In a surprising move, Marlon Anderson played center field for the eighth time in his career.
All seven previous times came last season with Washington.
“It’s fine,” Anderson said of his comfort level in center field. “[You] see the ball a lot better than you do in the gaps.”
In last night’s 8-5 Mets’ win, Anderson hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, and had four RBIs.
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Paul Lo Duca (ailing right hamstring) didn’t start for the third straight game, with Ramon Castro behind the plate. . . . Jose Reyes stole his 50th base Tuesday and is the first New York player to record three consecutive 50-steal seasons. . . . Catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and reliever Jon Adkins cleared waivers and are headed back to Triple-A.