Mets Morning News: Lucas Duda hits lefties as Mets win

Meet the Mets

The Mets beat the Cardinals 3-2 in yesterday's Grapefruit League matchup. Lucas Duda had three hits off left-handed pitchers and Dillon Gee contributed seven innings on the mound.

Nevertheless, Gee is not considered a lock for the rotation, writes David Lennon. The Mets are still looking at Rafael Montero, who starts today against the Marlins, as a candidate.

Bobby Parnell continued working back from Tommy John Surgery. He threw 16 pitches in a scoreless inning against Cardinals' Class A players.

Rising Apple makes a case for Matt Reynolds to be the Opening Day backup infielder, rather than Ruben Tejada. While acknowledging the unlikelihood of this, Rich Sparago would prefer the Mets choose Reynolds, the player with the higher offensive upside.

Around the NL East

The Nationals have to make a decision about Dan Uggla soon. While he has been hitting well this spring, he is limited to second base and stated that he would not be comfortable coming off the bench.

Jarred Cosart is not expected to miss any regular season games due to a blister that caused him to miss his previous spring start.

The Phillies are dealing with several injuries of their own. Cody Asche is expected to be ready by Opening Day, while Domonic Brown will likely start on the disabled list with tendinitis.

The Braves fell to the Pirates, 4-2. They got six innings out of newly acquired Shelby Miller, who allowed only one run.

Around MLB

Mike Pelfrey recanted his comments about preferring to be traded rather than be put in the Twins' bullpen. He has pitched well this spring, allowing four runs over 14.2 innings.

Alex Rodriguez played his first game at first base yesterday. He handled three grounders during his time at the new position.

Ichiro likened free agency to being a puppy in a pet shop. Specifically, he compared himself to the older puppy that repeatedly gets passed over for the younger, cuter ones.

The Hardball Times is kicking off its season preview series. They begin with a cool set of visual aids spanning a variety of data sets.

This Day in Mets History

On this day 15 years ago, the Mets played the second of a two-game series in Japan against the Cubs. Rick Reed pitched eight innings while only allowing one run. However, the game would require 11 innings, with it finally ending on a walk-off grand slam by Benny Agbayani.