Carlos Mendoza declared in a scared statement that the Mets are without a team….
Edwin Diaz may be pitching the ninth inning for the Mets sooner than imagined.
The 30-year-old right-hander was reduced to the seventh inning on Friday following some struggles, but pitched a clean frame, allowing just one hit and striking out two.
But with the rest of the bullpen struggling, too – Reed Garrett blew a four-run lead in the eighth in an 8-7 loss to the Giants – Carlos Mendoza left the door open to turn to Diaz for a save opportunity on Saturday.
“He’s one of the options,” Mendoza told reporters prior to the game. “He’s our closer. Even though he’s going through it right now, I thought yesterday was a good step in the right direction. I’ve been saying it – his mound work in Cleveland, even though he didn’t get in a game, in some of the conversations we had with him there was more conviction; it comes down to trusting his stuff.
“We’ll piece it together. If it comes down to the ninth inning and he’s there, he’ll get an opportunity.”
Diaz, who allowed seven runs over 2.1 innings pitched prior to Friday night, told reporters after the game he noticeably felt better with his pitches.
“I feel really good. I’ve been working a lot the last couple days,” he said. “I was able to command my glove side fastball, my slider down and away, I was pretty good today.”
Added Diaz: “Whatever I did today, I have to keep doing it every single day. If they give me the ball tomorrow in the ninth, I will be ready.”
Will Edwin Diaz take back the closer role for the New York Mets anytime soon? It does not necessarily sound likely based on the lukewarm vote of confidence he got from manager Carlos Mendoza.
Mendoza was asked if there was a chance the struggling Diaz could get a save opportunity on Saturday if one arises. The manager gave a standard “he’s our closer” response about Diaz, but went on to dismiss Diaz as simply “one of our options.”
The Mets are a mess at the back of the bullpen right now. Diaz was effectively removed from the closer role after three straight disastrous outings, but pitched a scoreless seventh inning Friday against the San Francisco Giants.
The Mets went on to allow five runs in the eighth to lose Friday’s game anyway, and Mendoza is struggling to find a reliable late-game relief option at the moment.
It has been a messy season for the Mets in many ways, with Friday’s loss dropping them to 21-29 on the season. The Diaz mess is only going to exacerbate the problems, though perhaps he is starting to get back on track.
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CLEVELAND — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza received a call from Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on Tuesday afternoon, letting the Mets know they might have to scratch starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
When the decision was finally made, Vogt called Mendoza again to inform him that the Guardians were calling up right-hander Xzavion Curry instead from Triple-A Columbus to start in Carrasco’s place. The Mets were surprised, expecting to see their former right-hander, but were able to prepare right away because of Vogt’s warning.
“I really appreciate Vogt reaching out and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to be dealing with this. I’ll give you a heads up but if Carrasco can’t go, then so and so is going to go. Then 30 minutes later he called and said, ‘Hey, Curry is starting.’ It was respectful.”
Vogt and Mendoza, both rookie managers this season, aren’t required to inform the other manager about pitching changes, but like many of baseball’s rules, this one is unwritten. Two new managers are happy to abide by it because they feel it’s the right thing to do.
“You’d never want to play that game,” Mendoza said. “You don’t want to catch people off guard. We’re not here for that. It’s straightforward, give them time to prepare. I wouldn’t want to be the manager on the other side.”
Carrasco, who came from Cleveland in the same 2021 trade that brought Francisco Lindor to the Mets, was placed on the 15-day injured list with acute neck spasms. Curry, a 25-year-old, will make his second-ever big league start. The Mets were
“We’re always ready to go,” Mendoza said. “There’s so much information and like I said, they gave us a heads up way ahead of time, which we really appreciate.”
SWAGGY V AND SWAGGY B
Mark Vientos was slated to face Carrasco with the Mets intending to give Brett Baty a day off at third base. Mendoza chose to stick with Vientos after seeing Curry’s reverse splits.
The two best friends, one who hits from the right side of the plate (Vientos) and the left (Baty), are forming a platoon of sorts right now, but it may not last long. Baty is hitting just .107 with a .310 OPS over his last 10 games. It starkly contrasts how he started the season, hitting .333 with an .801 OPS in his first 10 games.
Monday night in a loss to the Guardians, Baty struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded, drawing the ire of the fans. However, co-hitting coach Eric Chavez said the at-bat wasn’t as bad as it looked. Right-hander Nick Sandlin throws from a tough angle and when the Mets went back and looked at the video, they saw three pitches that would have been tough for even some of the game’s best hitters to handle.
“That guy made his pitches last night,” co-hitting coach Eric Chavez told the Daily News. “That fastball, even when you’re going good, that’s a tough pitch. Maybe we lay off the split-finger, but then he comes right back with the heater again. So from a pitcher standpoint, the way he used those pitches was outstanding.”
Still, it’s tough to ignore Baty’s struggles at the plate.
“He’s going through it,” Mendoza said. “But I like where he’s at mentally and I like the way he’s putting his work in.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Right-hander Kodai Senga played light toss back in New York. The Mets had no update on the triceps tightness the ace felt in his Sunday throwing session.
Right-handed reliever Drew Smith (shoulder soreness) threw a bullpen. He’s expected to go on a rehab assignment next week.
