Not to worry fans, he 'wasn't into it'

Yesterday, John Maine got roughed up pretty hard by a very powerful Marlins lineup in a relief appearance following Johan Santana.

“My mechanics felt fine. I just wasn’t into it,” Maine told reporters. “The feeling that it wasn’t my game as a starter - that was the hardest thing… It’s a waste of a day… I was up, down, I can’t put my finger on exactly what was wrong. My delivery was fine. I was rushing a little. But that’s normal when you haven’t pitched in a while.”

I take this as a good sign everyone. I mean, not only what Maine's delivery fine, but his mechanics were also. He just wasn't into it. Obviously by Opening Day, he will be into it. Not only that, but he was relieving. John Maine isn't a reliever, he's a starter. Just look at these guys when they aren't pitching in the role they're meant for:

Johan Santana: 3.98 Career Relief ERA vs. 3.02 Career Starter ERA

Mariano Rivera: 5.94 Career Starter ERA vs. 2.08 Career Reliver ERA

See? If you can't expect the same kind of production from 2 of the best pitchers in the game today, how can you expect the same kind of output from John Maine.

So, bottom line, not to worry Mets fans, things are going to be just fine.