The New York Mets game against the Nationals Thursday started off with a bang. After just five pitches in the first inning, New York Mets’ John Maine left the game. This is just another hit to the Mets’ roster.

Maine was replaced on the mound by Raul Valdes after Ray Ramirez, the team’s trainer, Jerry Manuel, the team’s manager, as well as Dan Warthen, the team’s pitching coach, stepped out on the mound with Maine after he walked Nyjer Morgan of the Nationals in order to speak with Maine and to quickly examine him. A few minutes later, Maine was walking off the mound to end his night with Valdes taking step on the mound to pitch to Nationals’ Adam Kennedy.

John Maine was first acquired by the New York Mets in January of 2006 in a trade with the Orioles. Since that time, he has been on the disabled list three times due to problems with his right shoulder. During the course of three months from June 12 through September 13 of last year, he was on the disabled list to weakness in the right shoulder.

Maine has a surgery on his shoulder in 2008 and he has not ever completely recovered from that. Therefore, that may be the cause of the pain that he was experiencing that caused him to feel as if he needed to leave the game Thursday night after just five pitches in.

There has been no official announcement as to why Maine left the mound during Thursday night’s game or to what degree his injury is. However, it does appear that the injury had been made aware of prior to the game because Valdes was warming up before the first pitch by Maine had even been thrown.

Related News

• Maine’s Exams Show Tendinitis
• Nationals’ Pudge Rodriguez on DL
• Mets’ Murphy Injures Knee; Knocks Him Out of the Season
• Philadelphia Phillies Activate Ryan Howard and Place Ross Gload on the DL
• First Victory for Dodger’s John Ely