Edwin Diaz

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas gives Edwin Diaz another vote of confidence: “We still trust him”

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On Sunday afternoon, the first game of the New York Mets‘ game against the Yankees, the bullpen once again collapsed. The Luis Rojas-led squad got to the seventh and final inning leading by five runs, but a few moments later, they had surrendered that lead in what ended up being an 8-7 loss.

Edwin Diaz, once again, was in the spotlight, but not in a good way. He blew his third save of the season and tenth in his Mets’ tenure. Rojas brought Diaz in with two men on base and the tying run at the plate. Unfortunately, Aaron Hicks belted a two-run homer that evened the score.

One inning later, the Mets had lost the game on a Gio Urshela walk-off single in the eighth inning. Since coming over from Seattle, where he was one of the game’s most dominant closers, Diaz has a 5.80 ERA.

The Mets need him to perform

Nevertheless, Rojas says he still wants Diaz to be a key cog in the bullpen in the future. After all, the New York Mets invested considerable resources to bring him to New York, namely prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn.

“We still trust him,” Luis Rojas said. “We still love his stuff. And that’s when he’s going to get the ball, when there’s tight situations, when there’s tense situations like that.”

Diaz explained on Sunday that his feel for his slider just wasn’t there, despite the fact, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, that he consistently threw it for strikes. Diaz, then, had to rely on his fastball, which was the pitch that Hicks connected over the fence.

“He only threw a few good sliders,” Rojas said of Diaz. “That was kind of the story of his outing today. When he has those two pitches working for him, that’s when it’s really tough to get a barrel on him.”

Mets starter Rick Porcello had allowed just a couple of runs in five innings of work. “It’s a tough one, that’s for sure,” he said. “You never like to lose. Especially when you’re winning a ballgame and end up giving it up late, it hurts. But this is something that you play baseball long enough, you deal with on more than one occasion and you know how to respond.”

New York Mets: Sunday’s Doubleheader Disappointment to the Yankees

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New York Mets, Edwin Diaz

After a terrific start to their five-game series against the New York Yankees, the New York Mets continuously beat themselves towards the end of the series. The bullpen disappointed the Mets in both games of the doubleheader, setting their season back even more.

The Mets were in a perfect position to turn things around from Saturday’s loss with a five-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Jared Hughes and Edwin Diaz combined to allow five runs in the inning, including an Aaron Hicks line-drive home run to tie the game. Diaz pitched in the eight, allowing Gio Urshela to hit a game-winning RBI single.

Adding On the Pain in Game 2

Deivi Garcia shut down the Mets in his major league debut. He threw six innings and struck out six while only allowing one unearned run. Seth Lugo went 3.2 innings for the Mets, striking out seven and only allowing one run. The bullpen disappointed again as Drew Smith allowed four runs in extra innings to give the Yankees a good cushion for the bottom of the inning.

The Mets added on a run, but Wilson Ramos struck out with the bases loaded in another frustrating loss. Over the three-game losing streak, every flaw Brodie Van Wagenen created and failed to fill was exploited. To make matters worse, the poor managing of rookie manager Luis Rojas was fully exposed as well.

On Monday, the Mets head back to their home park for a makeup game with the Miami Marlins. Jacob deGrom takes the mound for the 1:10 p.m. ET start against Trevor Rogers.

New York Mets: Sixth Inning Power Surge Provides a 6-4 Win in Game 1

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Better late than never was the motto for the New York Mets in game one of their doubleheader against the New York Yankees. Jordan Montgomery kept the Mets offense quiet through the first five innings. The Mets completely changed their approach in the sixth inning to knock Montgomery out of the game and light up Chad Green.

The only run the Mets picked up through the first five innings came on an error and wild pitch to score Dominic Smith. Two quick singles from J.D. Davis and Michael Conforto in the sixth led to Montgomery’s exit. Chad Green came into to pitch to Pete Alonso and had the at-bat that changed the game.

After getting ahead with two fastballs up in the zone, Alonso worked the count back to a 3-2 count. During that time, he fouled one of those high fastballs directly behind home plate, and it showed he finally had its timing. The high heat was the pitch he drove over the center field fence, tying the game at four and lifting a huge weight off his shoulder.

Dom Adds On

It seemed like the Mets offense was done after the following two batters recorded outs. On an 0-2 pitch, Smith smoked a home run into the Yankees bullpen, giving the Mets a one-run lead. Jake Marisnick went back-to-back with him, making it a 6-4 game in his first since coming off the Injured List.

Michael Wacha also returned from the IL and made his first start in three weeks. He struggled to keep the ball out of the middle, and the Yankees got to him for four runs in three innings. Wacha did record seven strikeouts, but the only pitch he had consistent success with was his change-up.

Walker Lockett (2) and Dellin Betances (1) combined for three shutout innings, working in and out of trouble. Lockett’s outing stabilized the game and got out of a bases-loaded jam against Gary Sanchez, which could have pushed the game out of reach early.

Edwin Diaz recorded the save, showing no ailments from his leg cramps. He struck out the side in the ninth, picking up his second save of the season. With Seth Lugo back in the rotation, Diaz eased concerns manager Luis Rojas could have with the electric closer.

David Peterson also returns from the IL in game two of the doubleheader. The Yankees have not announced who they will go with as of 6:45 p.m. Also, the Mets are the home team in the nightcap.

New York Mets: Bullpen Takes deGrom’s Win in Weird 5-4 Victory

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The New York Mets needed length out of Jacob deGrom after getting abbreviated starts during their doubleheader loss on Tuesday. deGrom gave them that and much more in his first start in almost a week. He tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts, but a bullpen implosion in the eighth inning prevented him from his third win of the season.

Luckily Wilson Ramos, who was hitting .100 w/RISP, came through to give the Mets the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Brad Brach went nine days without pitching but stayed tough to lock down the Mets victory over the Miami Marlins, 5-4.

The bullpen implosion started in the eighth inning when Justin Wilson allowed three singles to load the bases. He gave way to Edwin Diaz, who gave up a 107-mph single that J.D. Davis could not secure, followed by back to back walks to tie the game.

Diaz left the game with an apparent injury before the game-tying walk, leaving Brach a 2-1 count. Brach finished the at-bat with a walk before getting the game to the ninth inning. He needed help from Jeff McNeil‘s foot to prevent Jonathan Villar from stealing second base to get through the inning.

Clutch Hitting

The Mets were as dreadful on offense as any team could be on Tuesday. They put together a much-improved showing with a 2-for-9 output w/RISP and left seven on base. There was a much more concerted effort to hit the ball to the opposite field, and it was precisely what Wilson Ramos did to give the Mets the lead run.

Robinson Cano helped lead the way with three hits, moving his batting average to .382. Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo also added home runs, both their fifth of the year, as well.

Dominant deGrom

deGrom pitched as well as any pitcher can without recording a no-hitter. The two Marlins hits he allowed were light, and his fastball sat in the 99-100 mph range. It was undoubtedly his best outing of the season and showed what a couple of extra days of rest does for him.

Should the Mets choose not to join other professional sports teams in protest on Thursday, they finish their series with the Marlins. They currently have not named a starter yet, but face rookie Sixto Sanchez at 7:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field.

New York Mets: Conforto’s Two Run Homer Saves the Mets in 5-3 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Per usual for the New York Mets, the found a way to squander another Jacob deGrom start. The wild combination of Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz loaded the bases then walked in the game-tying run. Luckily Michael Conforto came through to give the Mets the lead in the ninth with a two-run homer.

Manager Luis Rojas elected to leave Diaz in there to finish the ninth inning and shut the door. Diaz struck out the side and made it look relatively easy. It got the Mets their first three-game winning streak of the season and moved them to 12-14 on the season.

It was mysterious as to why Seth Lugo was not in the game at any point. The speculation is that he will start Thursday’s game instead of Steven Matz. The Conforto homer saves Rojas from some serious questioning as to why he stuck with Betances so long and then followed it with Diaz.

deGrom Dominant

Jacob deGrom was dialed in from the beginning. He shutout the Marlins for six innings and held their offense to only four hits with seven strikeouts. After receiving extended bullpen outings over the past two nights, they needed deGrom to give them some length on the mound.

Dominic Smith and Luis Guillorme remained extremely hot. Smith recorded two doubles, one resulting in an RBI and the other resulting in Guillorme driving him in. Guillorme also recorded two hits to move his average to .464 and is continuing to become a player the Mets cannot afford to keep out of the lineup.

The Mets shoot for the sweep as either Lugo or Matz take the mound against Daniel Castano at 6:10 p.m. in the final game from Marlins Park.

 

New York Mets Can’t Get Out of Their Own Way in 2-1 Loss

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New York Mets, Billy Hamilton

The New York Mets season has two scripts to it. Either their pitching forces them to lose by a touchdown or they leave a small village on the bases. In the 2-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, it was the pathetic offensive effort that prevented them from getting a victory.

It looked like the Mets were going to chase Max Scherzer early in the game. Through two innings, he was well over 60 pitches and looked like the same Scherzer they faced a week ago. Per usual with the Mets, they tacked on to their league-leading LOB tally to let him off the hook.

The Mets left seven men on base, and when they did get into scoring position, they failed to record a hit all four times. Luis Guillorme drove in the only Mets run with a sacrifice fly. He also played a strong up the middle defense with Andres Gimenez at shortstop.

The Mets’ best chance to tie the game came in the seventh inning when Guillorme led off the inning with a double. Instead of leaving Billy Hamilton in the game to bunt him to third base, manager Luis Rojas opted to pinch-hit with Pete Alonso. At almost any other point, this is a brilliant move to make, but in the current situation, it becomes very questionable.

Alonso is the epitome of how bad the Mets are with runners in scoring position. Bunting the runner to third base, gives the Mets a chance to score a run with anything outside of a pop-up or strikeout. The clutch hitting is dreadful, and the Mets need any help they can get to make getting the runner in easier. With Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil due up, it would serve them perfectly to hit with a runner on third base.

Instead, Alonso could not get Guillorme to third base, let alone drive him in with no one out. Nimmo walked, then McNeil hit into a tough luck double play, which summed up how dreadful the 2020 season has been for the Mets. Ironically, Guillorme ended up striking out to end the game when Alonso could have pinched hit in the ninth.

Porcello’s Tough Luck

Rick Porcello had a very similar start to his last one against the Nats. He surrendered a run in each of the first two innings but shut the door for the following four innings. Porcello struck out five and worked around eight hits to lower his ERA to 5.68. The high ERA is nothing special, but comparing it to the 13.50 from two starts is a good step forward for him.

Jared Hughes and Edwin Diaz both combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Porcello. Both are pitching well as of late and would be terrific parts of a late-inning bullpen if the offense could ever get them a lead.

The defense for the Mets excelled, but they had to sacrifice offense for it. Despite not having their A+ offensive lineup, there still should be enough power in their defensive lineup for them to score more than one run. If Rojas is looking for more consistency from his lineups, he should stick with the defensive centric lineup. At 7-11, there is not much to lose in a season that seems already lost.

As of 10:25 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Mets have not announced their starter for Wednesday’s game. It will either be Franklyn Kilome or a bullpen game. Whoever the start is, they will face off against veteran Anibal Sanchez at 7:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field.

New York Mets: Offense, Bullpen Picks Up deGrom in 4-2 Victory

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New York Mets, Andres Gimenez

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is the king of day games but did not have his best stuff on Sunday. Despite only getting through five innings, he gave the Mets all they needed to get the 4-2 victory as they attempt to climb back to .500.

A lingering issue with his middle finger started bothering deGrom in the second inning. It forced him to elevate his pitch count and even drew a visit from the trainer. deGrom worked through the outing to pitch five innings, strikeout six and hold the Marlins to two runs. It was his second win of the season, and the only blemish on his line was a Jesus Aguilar two-run homer in the fifth inning.

Gimenez Leads the Way

Andres Gimenez continued to prove his worth at the big league level. He recorded three hits, including a double, and showcased his speed on the bases. Gimenez had a bunt single, stolen base and scored on a shallow sacrifice fly.

The Mets also took advantage of a weak Marlins outfield defense to record their runs. In the third inning, Jeff McNeil was robbed of a single with the bases loaded, but the fielder’s choice gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. Following that, a Corey Dickerson error gave the Mets their second run of the game.

A base hit from Brandon Nimmo in the fourth and a sac fly from McNeil in the sixth were all the Mets needed. It was important for the Mets to put together good at-bats in these situations where putting the ball in play score the Mets runs, instead of relying on the home run.

Bullpen Flexes Muscle

The bullpen depth the Mets signed in the offseason finally showed up. Jared Hughes and Dellin Betances started with back to back scoreless innings then the Edwin Diaz roller coaster began. By bringing in Diaz during the eighth, with a lead, it was clear the Mets want him back in the ninth when fully ready.

Diaz looked sharp, striking out the first two but then a single and double put the tying run in scoring position. In a situation where he would break, Diaz struck out Monte Harrison to get the Mets out of the jam. Seth Lugo slammed the door shut in the ninth as the closer role is firmly his at the moment.

Steven Matz takes the mound on Monday as the Mets begin a four-game set with the struggling Washington Nationals. The 7:10 p.m. ET game has the same matchup as last week with Patrick Corbin on the mound for the Nats.

New York Mets: Luis Rojas talks recently improved bullpen

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yankees, New York Mets, Luis Rojas

The New York Mets are 5-9, good for last place in the National League East. Their latest loss came Friday night at the hands of the red-hot division rival Miami Marlins, 4-3, at Citi Field.

All in all, the Mets bullpen has been shaky this season, as they’ve blown three leads in the seventh inning or later, all leading to losses. Last season the Mets bullpen recorded a 4.99 ERA. At the same time, they’ve been much better over the last week, tossing a combined 14 scoreless innings.

Mets manager Luis Rojas alludes to relievers “attacking the zone” as the impetus for the bullpen’s improvement (quotes per Jared Schwartz of the New York Post).

“It’s just attacking the zone,” Rojas said after the game. “That first batter is key. First guy you’re gonna face coming out of the bullpen, that’s key. You’re setting the tone. Everyone’s looking from the dugout, everyone wants to see how your command is, what you’re mixing. Off of that, they know what type of approach they’re going to bring. They know what you have. Everyone is prepared against each pitcher in the bullpen, knowing the history and the data that’s collected by all teams. But once they witness you out there, what you’re commanding, if you’re attacking on that first hitter, later in the game guys will go after those early pitches.”

Rojas feels his relievers are setting the tone.

“It’s really good to set the tone with that first batter you face. I think that’s been key for the bullpen over the last few days.”

Edwin Diaz, who owned a 7.71 ERA after his first three appearances this season, has surrendered one baserunner over his last three appearances — which were non-save situations; Jeurys Familia sports a 3.18 ERA; Seth Lugo owns a 2.57 ERA.

The Mets play the Marlins on Saturday in the second game of a three-game set.

New York Mets: Matz Struggles, Kendrick Dominates in 5-3 Loss

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The first two starts for New York Mets starter Steven Matz had promise that he could step up as their two starter. His third start of the season disrupted the momentum he was building. The Washington Nationals took advantage of Matz’s inability to pitch inside and knocked him out of the game after three innings to win 5-3.

Matz struggled to control his four-seam fastball throughout the start. Despite throwing 78 pitches in only three innings, he did not walk anyone. The Nationals worked him into deep counts and continued to put the ball in play against Matz. He allowed seven hits, five runs, and two home runs.

Solo home runs from Howie Kendrick in the first inning, and Josh Harrison in the second got the Nationals out to an early 2-0 lead. The Nats tacked on three more runs in the third, and it was all they needed on the night. Kendrick led the way with four hits, which brought his average to an even .300 on the short season.

Despite Matz’s struggles, the Mets bullpen hurled six shutout innings to keep the Mets in the game. The combination of Paul Sewald, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, and Edwin Diaz only allowed three hits. It was most encouraging to receive good outings from Betances and Diaz, who the Mets need to pitch well if they want any chance to turn around their season.

Conforto Stays Hot

The Mets needed offensive production from their outfield as three-quarters of their starting infield is dealing with injuries. Robinson Cano landed on the 10-day IL, while Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario are day-to-day. Michael Conforto came into the matchup with Nationals starter, Patrick Corbin, with ten hits, including four home runs. His two-run home run was their only base hit on the night and opened up their scoring.

Pete Alonso struck out twice on the night, but his RBI single provided the third Mets run. He still is in the midst of a season wide slump, but at least recording one hit and a walk is a step in the right direction. Moving Alonso down in the order would strengthen the Mets offense until he starts to return to his 2019 form.

Andres Gimenez was the only Mets to record multiple hits on the night. He replaced the injured Rosario at shortstop and made a couple of solid defensive plays as well. The play of Gimenez has quickly moved him from the 30th man on the roster to a player they cannot afford to send back to their training site.

The Mets continued their lousy baseball in the eighth when Brian Dozier was thrown out as second base while the Mets had the tying run at the plate. Dozier attempted to advance when a ball trickled away from Yan Gomes, and after being called safe, the replay review overturned the call.

The Mets also left ten runners on base, despite recording ten hits on the night. Their lack of ability to record any hit other than a single is halting their offense.

This sums up the Mets’ horrible start to the season as another veteran makes an unexcused mistake. Mickey Callaway may longer be the manager, but his presence remains with how this year’s team plays.

On Wednesday, Rick Porcello tries to get the Mets a split of the two-game series. He has his work cut out for him as he faces Nationals ace, Max Scherzer. The first pitch is at an unusual 6:05 p.m. ET from Nationals Park.

New York Mets: Cespedes Absence and Opt Out Looms Over 4-0 Loss

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New York Mets, Yeonis Cespedes

It was the same story but a different day for the New York Mets, but the mysterious absence then opt out of Yoenis Cespedes became the talk of the game in their 4-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. As for the players who were on the field, they failed to take advantage of ten hits in the shutout.

It was another chapter in the book of stupidity from the franchise. There were multiple reasons why the Mets made a dumb decision by releasing their statement as early as they did. Brodie Van Wagenen released it shortly after game time, and it became more talked about than the game itself. The Mets also released the statement knowing as much information as we did. They could have held off on releasing any statement at all until they received any new information.

We had to wait until the game ended to find out Cespedes is opting out for the rest of the season. It is a sad ending to a tenure that started in brilliance in 2015. Like we saw with other Cespedes teams in the past his attitude and character forced him to move from team to team. It was clear that his performance was the dictating factor for his opt-out, using “COVID” reasons for his opt-out. Should he have played well, there is no reason why he would not have remained with the team.

There Was a Game Today?

At this point, it is comical at how bad the Mets are at driving in runs. They continued their struggles with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-15, and leaving 13 total runners on base. Strikeouts and double plays kill the Mets as well. They had 11 on the day, and both double plays killed key rallies. For once, the Mets received decent pitching, but the offense, like Cespedes, was absent.

David Peterson gave the Mets another solid start to build on his debut. The rookie pitched six innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight. Peterson used his slider to keep the Braves off-balance, and it helped get swing and misses on his fastball. He also ran into trouble during the third and fourth innings, which could have ended his outing early. Peterson got stronger after that, retiring the final eight batters he faced.

Edwin Diaz pitched after Peterson and immediately walked the first batter he faced. It prompted a visit from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, and it looked like he did a majority of the talking to get Diaz’s mind in check. Diaz responded great by recording a strikeout and getting a soft liner that Robinson Cano turned into a double play. The outing is a good step in the right direction for Diaz’s attempt to revive his career.

Hot and Cold

Jeff McNeil and Robinson Cano continued doing all they could to attempt to get the Mets on the board. McNeil added another three hits to move his average up to .343, and Cano recorded a hit that extended his hitting streak to 6-games.

Pete Alonso had the worst looking game of his season-long slump. He went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and left six runners on base. Alonso’s lack of approach showed an anxious hitter who is overthinking at the moment. There is no doubt that he will find his way out of it, but manager Luis Rojas has to think about dropping him in the order until he at least puts together better at-bats.

At 3-7 on the season, they need a tremendous turnaround or a season cancellation to put themselves out of their misery. With the way they are driving runs now, there is no end in sight for the Mets failures. On Monday, the Mets attempt to avoid the sweep as Jacob deGrom takes the mound in an attempt to end the five-game losing streak. He faces off against his Opening Day counterpart Mike Soroka. The first pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.