Jeff Roberson / AP

"I was throwing bullpens every other day," JohanhSantana said, the New York Post reported.

New York Mets ace Johan Santana said his left elbow feels OK, but he apparently has some hard feelings for Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen.

Santana blames Warthen's aggressive throwing schedule for pitchers for the tendinitis in his left triceps, the New York Post reported Monday, while Warthen says Santana has been pushing himself to be ready for the World Baseball Classic.

Santana said he was OK after throwing a bullpen session Sunday morning, and the team decided against sending him to snowy New York for an MRI on his balky left elbow.

But the left-hander said it was Warthen's idea to throw so frequently — bullpen sessions every other day for six days, the newspaper reported.

Santana repeated his assertion that the aggressive schedule for pitchers mandated by Warthen this spring — bullpen sessions every other day for six days at a time before resting — prompted the pain.

"I was throwing bullpens every other day," Santana said, the New York Post reported. "I think that's what it was: Too much throwing too soon. Once they said I wasn't pitching in the WBC, then we back off a little bit. But we were throwing a lot."

Warthen, however, said Santana was trying to prove he was healthy so the Mets would let him pitch for Venezuela in the WBC.

"That's my speculation, that he had his own quiet agenda, not sharing it with anybody else," Warthen said, the Post reported. "He tried to throw too hard too soon."

Santana said he will take a few days off before pitching again, making him more unlikely for opening day on April 6 in Cincinnati.

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