Santana Having "Double" the Fun

(by Jeffrey Shea Frandsen)

As both Bart Hubbuch of the NY Post and David Lennon of Newsday explain, Johan Santana is excited about playing on both sides of the ballfield this season.

During the Mets 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles yesterday at Tradition Field, Santana lead the Mets with 6 scoreless innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and striking out seven to notch his first victory of the spring.

But that's not the line that reporters were raving about after the game.

At the plate, Santana went 1-1 with a walk, a double, and a run scored. The offense came in the second inning when he ripped a Jon Leicester pitch into the right centerfield gap. Jose Reyes drove him in with a single.

When he went out to pitch the following inning, he needed a chance to catch his breath.

"That's the toughest thing for a pitcher," said Santana, a career .286 hitter. "I've got to be careful. For me, it's going to be a learning process, but I was able to recover pretty quick."

Also buzzing in Port St. Lucie:

• Orlando Hernandez threw mostly Reagan era pitches on Tuesday during his bullpen session as he prepares for his first start of the spring on Sunday. (Newsday)
  
• Duaner Sanchez "knows" he'll be ready for opening day. (NY Times)
  
• Damion Easley says it will be hard to replace Moises Alou. (Daily News)
  
• David Wright is working on doing the "unspectacular" at third this season. (Daily News)
  
• Brian Schneider says his hamstring is feeling fine. (NY Post)