Touch 'Em All: Mets pitcher Pelfry gets in his licks

The last time Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey was warming up for an appearance against the Phils, a heckler piped up, "Try not to lick your hands a hundred times."

He wasn't far off. Wall Street Journal reporter Brian Costa counted 89 licks last week during his most recent start.

For many pitchers, that would have been a remarkable. But it was just another day for Pelfrey, whose appetite for his hand is unrivaled.

Costa explains that there are two kinds of Pelflicks: a quick, two-finger version and the four-fingered dive. That one makes it look as if he's training to be a sword swallower.

"It's something I've always done," Pelfrey said. "I think it becomes an issue where people tell me, instead of licking my hand, it looks like I'm licking my whole arm. That's why it gets brought up. Guys have talked about, 'Ahhh, you're eating your whole hand.' "

Wet fingers help pitchers get a better grip on the ball, which leads to tighter spin and better command. Rules prohibit pitchers from bringing their pitching hand in contact with their mouth while standing on the mound, but one ump said he lets it slide as long as the pitcher wipes his hand on his uniform immediately.

There are ways to skirt the rules, of course. Some pitchers lick some of their fingers, then wipe only the dry ones.

Mets manager Terry Collins said he sees nothing wrong with Pelfrey's dedication to his tongue-drooping, slobbering compulsion. "If he was 21-5 right now," Collins said, "everyone in baseball would be trying it."

More than a few games overdue, Carlos Beltran's breakout game with the Giants came against the right opponent. The key deadline acquisition collected four hits, including the go-ahead home run in the third, and knocked in three to push his new team to a 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday. The win snapped Arizona's winning streak at nine and allowed the World Series champs to pick up some ground.

Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez received word that his last start of the season (career?) will be Sunday. He'll stay on with the Nats through the end of the season as a mentor, coach, and pinch-hitter. Manager Davey Johnson said he wants Hernandez, 36, around so he can ask his opinion of the young pitchers coming to the majors. Johnson also told Hernandez, "When we have an off day, I want to play golf with you."

San Francisco Giants prospect Angel Villalona is expected to return to the team after murder charges against him were dismissed. Villalona, a first baseman signed by the Giants as a 16-year-old in 2006 for a then-record $2.1 million, was charged in the 2009 murder of a man at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic. He settled with the man's family for a reported $139,000 and sued the Giants, saying they owed him money. The case was dropped because of lack of evidence. - Inquirer wire services