Pedro sharp in spring debut but Delgado cut on arm for Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) -- Pedro Martinez did a nice job dodging the dangerous bats. Carlos Delgado wasn't so fortunate.

Martinez pitched four scoreless innings in his spring training debut while Delgado needed four stitches to close a bloody gash in his arm after a freak accident as the New York Mets beat Detroit 7-4 in a split-squad game Sunday.

Martinez had an earlier exhibition start rained out and skipped another because it would've meant a three-hour trip across the state.

"I'm happy about getting out there and facing some real hitters," Martinez said. "I'm right where I want to be."

Delgado, one of many Mets already injured this spring, definitely was in the wrong spot.

The slugger hit an RBI double in the third inning and later took a lead off third base.

Brady Clark swung and broke his bat, and the jagged barrel sailed down the line and speared Delgado on the outside of his right forearm. Right away, his arm was covered in red streams.

"It was a lot more blood than I wanted to see," Delgado said.

Delgado immediately left the game and exited with a small bandage. He was previously scheduled to be off Monday and expected to be out a couple of days.

Delgado said he was watching Clark's infield popout and didn't see trouble headed in his direction. When he spotted the flying bat, he tried to twist his body but it was too late.

"You always think you have time to get out of the way," he said.

Mets manager Willie Randolph thought Delgado would escape.

"That was weird. I watched his reaction and it was like a slow, delayed reaction," he said.

"It's a good thing he's OK," he said. "The blood was gushing out of there."

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, like most everyone else on both sides, said he had never seen such an accident.

"I saw the bat coming. He was watching the ball. I yelled, 'Heads up!' but he didn't hear me," Cabrera said. "I saw the blood, there was a lot. It was scary, man."

Mets catcher Ramon Castro also left early. He felt a twinge in his right hamstring while running out a single, was pulled as a precaution and will have an MRI exam Monday.

"We'll have to just shut him down for a couple days and see where he is," Randolph said.

Martinez seemed comfortable, working around four hits and striking out four, including Carlos Guillen, Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez in order. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was limited last year while recovering from shoulder surgery and finished 3-1 in five starts.

Ivan Rodriguez singled on Martinez's first pitch of the game. On the next pitch, Guillen grounded into a double play.

"They came out of the chute swinging," Martinez said.

Cabrera could only watch when Martinez dropped in a big curve for a called strike in the third, a 68 mph floater that drew ohhs and ahhs from the crowd.

Martinez also got a little fielding practice. He was a tad slow covering first base and Timo Perez beat him to the bag for an infield hit in the second.

A few batters later, Martinez got a good break, covered first base and caught Delgado's throw to retire Freddy Guzman and leave the bases loaded.

Martinez made a fine flip, too, when he walked off the mound. He tossed the ball to a young girl in the front row behind the Mets dugout and got a nice cheer.

Game notes
Mets C Raul Casanova hit an RBI double that capped a three-run eighth. Drafted and signed by the Mets in 1990, he made his big league debut with Detroit in 1996. He played for Tampa Bay last year, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason and figures to play in Castro's absence.