Notes: Quintana's uneven debut; Mendick near game action

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- In a different type of spring, José Quintana would be better able to brush aside his poor Grapefruit League debut, which included five earned runs over just two-thirds of an inning Tuesday afternoon against the Astros at Clover Park.

But this is a World Baseball Classic year, which means Quintana has only one start remaining before he travels to Phoenix to join Team Colombia for the 2023 event. As Colombia’s most accomplished pitcher, Quintana must be close to top form if he wants to help his country advance from a stacked pool that also includes the United States, Mexico and Canada.

In other words, he must look much different than he did Tuesday in the Mets' 8-4 loss, when he allowed a two-run homer to David Hensley halfway up the batter’s eye in straightaway center field that ended his day.

“No good for sure,” was how Quintana classified his outing. “I don’t feel I executed good, like I did last year.”

Last year in the second half, Quintana executed as well as anyone in baseball, producing a 1.67 ERA over his final 14 starts for the Pirates and Cardinals. The Mets rewarded him with a two-year, $26 million contract to be their No. 4 starter and the lone left-hander in their projected Opening Day rotation.

One poor spring start won’t change that, even if Quintana is in more of a hurry than usual to fix it.

“For me, it starts today … getting in a better position to compete,” Quintana said.

Healthy and happy
Within the next week or so, infielder Danny Mendick will appear in his first game since last June 22, when he collided with White Sox teammate Adam Haseley in pursuit of a foul popup. At the time, Mendick thought he had hyperextended his right knee and would maybe miss a week. He learned after coming off the field that he had fractured his fibula.

The next day, Mendick underwent an MRI and discovered he had torn his ACL, as well. His season was over.

It was a career-altering moment for Mendick, a 29-year-old upstate New York native who had been enjoying his best year to date at the time of the collision. Rather than spend a roster spot on a rehabbing player, the White Sox non-tendered Mendick after the season. He subsequently signed with the Mets on a one-year, $1 million deal.

“It kind of happened for a reason,” Mendick said. “It got me to the New York Mets, where I’m super happy. I’m loving this atmosphere and how everyone’s driven here to really win.”

No longer technically a rehabbing player, Mendick is nonetheless easing into camp after going more than eight months without game action. He expects to begin playing Grapefruit League games in early March, around the time when rosters thin due to the WBC. And while there’s no obvious path for Mendick to make the Opening Day roster, he represents an important depth option as their third-string shortstop behind Francisco Lindor and Luis Guillorme. At worst, Mendick should receive regular playing time at shortstop, second and third base at Triple-A Syracuse.

Game on tap
To accustom Kodai Senga to American mounds and baseballs before inserting him into an actual game, the Mets have given him a bit of extra time on the back fields. Senga threw another multi-inning round of live batting practice on Tuesday, in advance of his Grapefruit League debut Sunday against the Cardinals. He will start that game, with Quintana either appearing in relief or in a "B" game.

“It’ll be my first time throwing to actual hitters, not the Mets hitters,” Senga said via interpreter Hiro Fujiwara. “So it’s something I really look forward to.”

Doggo Day
Ear scratches and belly rubs were plentiful in the dugout on Tuesday, as a black Labrador retriever named Bear took a break from his training to take in batting practice at Clover Park. Pete Alonso and his wife, Haley, are sponsoring Bear’s instruction with “K9s For Warriors” through the Alonso Foundation. Once Bear is trained, he will partner with a military veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or military sexual trauma.

“It is so great to have Bear out at the ballpark and see his development,” Alonso said. “Service dogs like Bear literally change the lives of veterans.”

Earlier this spring, Shea -- the Mets’ own service dog in training with America’s VetDogs -- also stopped by camp to wag his tail at various players.