Article:Tonight's Best Pitching Match-up.....was not in the Major Leagues

OK, so the Roy Halladay v. Rich Harden match-up was intriguing enough, the real can't miss pitching duel tonight was, in fact, missed by most everyone. Way down on the southeast corner of Florida, in the high income retirement community of Port St. Lucie, Florida, a pair of highly publicized hurlers took to the mound. In a match of the Class A, Florida State League affiliates of the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays, a re-habbing vet on his way to Cooperstown opposed a re-habbing rookie yet to make his ML debut. The match-up pitted Pedro Martinez against the Rays 2007 first overall pick, David Price.

Martinez, who strained a hamstring during his first start of the season for the Mets, was making his second, and final, rehab start before re-joining the big club for a start next Monday in San Francisco. Price strained his pitching elbow toward the end of spring training and was also making his second start of the season, although his stay in the FSL will be much longer than Martinez'.

Both pitchers were also working on different agendas. Martinez was just hoping his leg was healed, getting rocked by a bunch of 20 year olds would have made no difference, he's pitching in the major leagues in five days whether he gave up no runs or ten. Price, on the other hand, while he, too, was hoping to prove himself healthy, had the added burden of having his result actually matter. Because he'll be here awhile, he is making a bucketload of cash, and will have to walk in the clubhouse every day, with the eyes of his teammates upon him. And it will certainly be better for all concerned if the eyes were looking at him with respect instead of disdain.

Despite not at 100%, Martinez and Price threw well, not totally unexpected considering the competition, with early health reports being positive for both guys. Price threw six shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out nine and running his record to 2-0. In his eleven innings of work, Price has allowed no runs, five hits, one walk and has racked up 13 strikeouts. Martinez was charged with the loss in Port St. Lucie's 2-0 defeat, allowing both runs in his six innings of work, with six strikeouts and four hits allowed with no walks. Both runs scored in the third inning on a pair of singles, an error, a fielders choice and another single. All four Vero Beach hits off Martinez came in the fourth inning, the only other baserunner he allowed was to the leadoff hitter in the game, on a fielding error.

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