Posted March 28, 200519 yr comment_459911 Posted on Mon, Mar. 28, 2005 MARLINS NOTEBOOK Pierre might not be ready for opening day BY KEVIN BAXTER [email protected] Marlins manager Jack McKeon said the team will reevaluate Juan Pierre's strained right calf today before deciding when the center fielder can return to the lineup. But for the first time Sunday, McKeon expressed doubt that his spark plug leadoff hitter will be ready for opening day. ''He may. Or he may not,'' McKeon said. ``Pierre is not going to play for a while. He will not play [today]. He will not play Tuesday. And probably won't play Wednesday.'' Pierre, who led the National League with 221 hits last year and had at least 200 hits in three of his four full big-league seasons, is a key part of the Marlins' attack. But he has been out since March 7 and hasn't run full speed in weeks. McKeon said when Pierre does return, he likely will be used as a designated hitter in a minor-league game to get some at-bats in before he tries to run the bases or play the field. ... link One reason why we might need that extra outfielder...... Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 28, 200519 yr comment_459912 Damn.........not good. If we dont have JP, it messes up our whole lineup. Lets see how McKeon handles this as itll be his first time (perhaps) without JP :thumbdown Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459912 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 28, 200519 yr comment_459913 JP will be back 100% by end of April. Meanwhile, Enc, Aguila and Little can cover CF. We don't need a Wigginson or any other washed-up player taking up a bench-spot. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459913 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 28, 200519 yr comment_459914 Of all the guys not to make the opening day roster, JP was not on my list Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459914 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 28, 200519 yr comment_459915 We can do pretty well without him for a week or two... Louie can do a great job as a leadoff hitter. He gets on base at the same rate (or perhaps even better) than JP and he works the count better as well. The major advantage JP has is he's a bigger base stealing threat. We won't suffer all that much. It's still a good offense without him. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459915 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 28, 200519 yr comment_459916 seems like JP always gets injured during spring training... last year was his pinky =] Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459916 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 29, 200519 yr comment_459917 Gosh. I hope hes there for Opening day. Not good. Its not the same feeling w/o him starting the line up. I hope this is a speedier process. We can do ok without him, but sooner or later were going to need him. Poor JP, this must be hard on him. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459917 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 29, 200519 yr comment_459918 JP should just get to skip all Spring Training...he could get himself into fine shape....he works plenty hard. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459918 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 29, 200519 yr comment_459919 I was afraid of this. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459919 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 29, 200519 yr comment_459920 It's not like the lineup needs to steal many bases to score runs, that was in the pre-Cabrera-Delgado-Lowell days. Weren't aren't so much a small ball team anymore. Lo Duca will do a fine job at the two spot in the mean time. He's a contact hitter, that's all we need from that position right now. Lets get JP ready for the dog days. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if JP did play. Knowing him he probably will. We should be lucky the Marlins have more than a handful of these types of players that work hard every year and not only in a contract year. Except you know who... Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459920 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 30, 200519 yr Author comment_459921 Marlins unsure if Pierre will be ready for Opening Day Posted: Wednesday March 30, 2005 2:04PM; Updated: Wednesday March 30, 2005 2:04PM PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Juan Pierre played every inning of every Florida game last season, the only major-leaguer to manage the feat. Nobody knows if he'll be ready for the first inning of the 2005 season. Pierre, who hasn't missed a game since joining the Marlins two years ago, has been sidelined for the last three weeks with a strained right calf muscle, an injury suffered on a seemingly innocuous play -- he was simply running down a fly ball. Tests have not shown any tears, but the muscle apparently is not responding quickly to treatment, either. Pierre, the Marlins' center fielder and leadoff hitter, has repeatedly declined to answer any questions about the injury and his rehabilitation process. "My gut feeling is, knowing him and maybe I'm optimistic, that he'll find a way to play," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said Wednesday before his team -- with Chris Aguila in center field _ faced the New York Mets in an exhibition game. "On the other hand, I don't know that for sure. It's better to be on the safe side if he's not right." The Marlins have struggled mightily this spring. Entering Wednesday, they had the worst exhibition record (8-19), were ranked last in batting average (.237), home runs (13), and runs scored (95), plus were held to three or fewer runs 18 times in 28 games. Clearly, they miss Pierre -- their catalyst for the last two seasons. Pierre led the National League last season with 221 hits, tied for first with 12 triples and batted .326; in the Marlins' World Series title year of 2003, he led the National League with 65 stolen bases. "We know he'll be ready sometime soon," Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis said. Pierre has been taking batting practice and was scheduled to resume running at the team's complex in Jupiter on Wednesday, McKeon said. Pierre did not accompany the Marlins on their short bus ride north to Port St. Lucie for the game against the Mets. He's been on a light running regimen since suffering the injury, but was held back in recent days -- further clouding hopes that he'll be in uniform when Florida starts the regular season against Atlanta on Tuesday. McKeon still hasn't ruled out having Pierre -- who's missed just 16 games over the last four full major league seasons -- start this year on the disabled list, a move that would likely lead to Juan Encarnacion spending the season's first two weeks in center field and having second baseman Luis Castillo bat leadoff. "I'm going to rely on what the doctors say," McKeon said. "I think Juan is intelligent enough to realize that getting back when he's not right will jeopardize the whole healing process." After Wednesday, the Marlins have four spring training games remaining. There's little chance Pierre will play Thursday against Washington, yet McKeon is optimistic that the center fielder could possibly play against the Mets on Friday or Saturday, or even against Florida's Single-A team in Greensboro, N.C., on Sunday. McKeon indicated that if Pierre isn't back by the weekend, odds are slim that he'll play on Tuesday. "So you miss the first series," McKeon said. "If you're not right, let's not have a chance of prolonging that injury." Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. link Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459921 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 30, 200519 yr comment_459922 He needs to really have that muscle looked at... find 4th and 5th opinions. I hope it's not seriousl Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/26534-pierre-might-not-be-ready-for-opening-day/?&do=findComment&comment=459922 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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