On a cold damp Tuesday night, the Miami Marlins made their debut at Citi Field with former Met Benedict Arnold Jose Reyes in tow. But what was supposed to be a homecoming was largely overshadowed by what quickly turned into a pitchers duel between two aces.

After the shortest outing of his career last Tuesday against Atlanta, Johan looked to return to signature form against the Marlins, and return to form he did. After a nice play by Kirk Nieuwenhuis to rob Reyes of an extra-base hit, Santana settled down. But Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson seemed equal to the task. Both pitchers went 6 2/3 innings, Johan throwing 105 pitches (67 for strikes). But runs were scarce to come by. It wasn't until the 7th inning that either team scored a run.

In the top of the 7th after not allowing a hit since Omar Infante's single as the second batter of the game, Mike Giancarlo Stanton singled with 2 outs. That was then followed by a double by noted Met killer Gabby Sanchez and a bad relay throw which allowed Stanton to score, putting the Mets in a 1-0 hole and knocking Santana out of the game. The bottom of the inning was better for the Mets, walking the bases loaded for Josh Thole who also drew a bases loaded walk, tying the game.

After a Nieuwenhuis single, Ruben Tejada failed to lay down a bunt (leaving him hitless on the night). Daniel Murphy followed with a single that advanced Kirk to 3rd with only one out. David Wright proceeded to strikeout looking on three pitches, when Lucas Duda, who has been in a slump to start off the season, hit an infield single off the pitcher which allowed Nieuwenhuis to score what proved to be the game winning run.

Notes:
Jose Reyes went 0-4 in his return to New York. His first AB was greeted with a mixed reaction of cheers and boos as with his video tribute.

Jason Bay was placed on the 15-Day disabled list with a fractured rib, which is not thought to be serious (we'll see how that plays out).

Mike Pelfrey was also put on the 15-Day DL. Unlike Bay, it appears that Pelfrey's injury is very serious. The early diagnosis is a partial tear of his ulner collateral ligament in his elbow, which if true, will require Tommy John surgery, thus ending his season and possibly even his Mets career. Read More...

What began with glimmer of hope, that sank to the deepest spots, has now began to climb out of the hole that was dug. The rough offseason for the New York Mets began with the loss of Jose Reyes to the newly christened Miami Marlins. Instead of siting idly by, General Manager Sandy Alderson used that money to acquire some new pieces to help sure up a bullpen that struggled mightily after the trade of closer Francisco Rodriguez during the All-Star break. None of the pieces that were acquired were quite as flashy as the man they replace but still effective. Jon Rauch, Frank Francisco, and Ramon Ramirez all have the task of strengthening a 'pen that consists of Tim Byrdak (aka Hulk Hogan), Pedro Beato, and Manny Accosta.

In January the Mets waived the once highly touted outfield prospect Fernando Martinez, after struggling to stay even remotely healthy for the past two seasons. Later in the month it was revealed that the team's financial struggles were even worse than previously thought. It seemed as though the team would be caught in the middle of a tug-of-war that would cost the Wilpon and Katz family millions of dollars.

February started out quiet but soon became tragic with the passing of Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter after a long battle with brain cancer (on a side note, please buy the "RIP Kid" t-shirts from our good friends at The 7 Line. All proceeds go to the Gary Carter Foundation). Things soon took a turn for the better with the first bullpen session Johan Santana threw. It marked the beginning of his comeback attempt since his last major league appearance in September of 2010. The diagnosis of Valley Fever for Ike Davis came as a shock to all. Many believed that it would be a similar situation to Conor Jackson. Jackson contracted the disease back in May of 2009 and has yet to reach the potential that he once showed. It still may affect Ike but after a full and successful spring it shows no signs of the disease.

It was not that successful of a spring for the Mets record wise. But with the successful springs of most of the starting rotation (outside of Mike Pelfrey) and a many of the lineup (except Jason Bay), the Mets may do better than many have predicted.

COMING SOON: Mets 2012 Season preview. Read More...