Bullpen advice for Luis Rojas for tonight’s game

The easiest thing to do is to be a back seat driver, always saying what should be done after the fact. That’s one of the nice things about the Game Chatters – it gives you the chance to voice your opinion in real time. But so few of you take advantage of that. Oh well…

Anyway, here’s a blueprint for how the bullpen should be used for tonight’s game against the Yankees. First, let’s look at the composition of the pen right now. Did you know that the Mets were currently carrying 10 relievers?!? That’s literally twice as many as they had when I first started following them. Yes, the game is different and it’s hard to find a better example than this. Let’s break this down in tiers:

Absolutely should not be used tonight under any circumstance – Jeurys Familia
Would be nice to avoid using – Seth Lugo, Brad Hand
Only if specific situation arises – Edwin Diaz, Aaron Loup, Trevor Williams
Absolutely ready to go – Trevor May, Miguel Castro, Heath Hembree, Yennsy Diaz

Clearly, Hembree and Diaz are at the bottom of manger Luis Rojas’ pecking order. It’s hard to argue with his logic. But this is the guy who thinks it’s okay to pinch hit for a position player with Patrick Mazeika. It’s much better to use Diaz and/or Hembree in a tight game than it is to PH Mazeika with the game on the line.

My personal preference, especially with a 10-man pen, is to have guys get two days off between appearances. Both Castro and May have had the past two days off, although we did see Castro warming up last night for a possible appearance in the ninth inning if the Mets tied the game. Regardless, these two relievers should be the top options for late-inning work.

Before the game starts, huddle with Taijuan Walker, the scheduled starter, along with the pitching and bullpen coaches and determine how deep Walker can go if he’s pitching well. If he’s not pitching well, you use Diaz and Hembree. But if Walker is pitching well, how many pitches can he throw? Let’s not worry about third time through the order or what inning it is. If Walker is pitching well, can he throw 110 pitches? 115? 120?

There might be a legitimate reason not to let Walker throw 120 pitches. But neither blanket statements nor fear mongering are enough. Three times this season, Walker has exceeded 100 pitches in a game. There’s no reason to think he’s going to implode if you let him throw 110. If Walker is pitching well, not struggling in his last few innings, and has thrown 95 pitches thru six innings, the plan should be to let him start, and hopefully complete, the seventh.

At the same time, you want to have your pen on high alert at this point. If Walker gets the first two outs and then the next two batters get on and Anthony Rizzo is due up – either Loup or Hand should be ready to face him. How long does it take those guys to get ready? If the manager doesn’t know – and he should – the bullpen coach does.

If Walker and the lefties get you through seven innings with a lead – quit laughing – then what’s the plan to finish the game? Do you still have faith in Diaz for the ninth? Or is May the closer for tonight? If Diaz is still the top option, then you go May-Diaz. Otherwise, it’s Castro-May. But this decision absolutely needs to be made before the game starts.

So, my advice to Rojas is:

1. Look to win the game by riding Walker for as long as possible
2. Don’t use Familia under any circumstance
3. Know before the game starts if Edwin Diaz is pitching the ninth with a lead
4. A four-run lead/deficit is the time to use Yennsy Diaz or Heath Hembree, not one of the arms that has already been run into the ground.

And while it’s not pitching-related – don’t pinch-hit for Kevin Pillar. He’s only been your most-productive hitter the past two weeks, 1.251 OPS, yet you’ve pulled him out of the last two games. As if the hot bat (and no platoon splits) isn’t enough – if you pull him then you have to put Albert Almora into the game. And none of us want to see that.