It was Scott’s day to publish today.
When you’re 19-9, the last thing you want is to be rained out in back-to-back days. But that’s just where the Mets find themselves after their Saturday afternoon game against the Phillies was washed out. Usually, you view rainouts as good thing for your bullpen. But the Mets’ pen may now be too rested, if such a thing is possible. Here’s how things shape up for Sunday, counting Saturday as a day off for each reliever:
2 days off – Edwin Diaz, Chasen Shreve, Adonis Medina
3 days off – Adam Ottavino, Trevor Williams
4 days off – Seth Lugo, Drew Smith
6 days off – Joely Rodriguez
Two days off is ideal for your normal short reliever. After that, you start thinking that you need to get your guy work. With a scheduled doubleheader on Sunday, the Mets could potentially use six relievers and essentially get back to normal. Or they could use four and have their three best – Diaz, Lugo and Smith all used and be in a situation like they were on Wednesday with no clear path to finish the game.
Wednesday proved the shortfall in carrying two lefty relievers you don’t feel comfortable using if three RHB are due to lead off for the opposition. Rodriguez almost certainly needs to be used Sunday. Perhaps “needs” is too strong of a word but it would be a shock if Buck Showalter didn’t call on him. The question is: Will there be a situation where Rodriguez will fit naturally or will Showalter have to either use him in a non-ideal way or pull a Terry Collins and yank a starter that’s cruising because two LHB are due up?
My other question for the pen is if Showalter will consider Medina for higher-leverage situations moving forward? They don’t necessarily need him that way for Sunday but they could as early as Monday. With Trevor May on the shelf, it would be a whole lot easier working the end of games if 2021 Miguel Castro was still around. But he’s not, which likely means that key innings await for Medina.
I’d still rather have this problem that its opposite. Guys can work their way back often seamlessly. Maybe Monday they can all throw in a simulated game… work the rust off.
I’m rather hopeful about the pen these days. Only Trevor May has been consistently poor, and I guess we’ll find out if it is the injury or it is Trevor May. Meanwhile Diaz, Lugo, Smith, Shreve, Williams, and Medina have been inching forward. Ottavino we’ll have to see, but I’m putting his poor outing on Buck, who asked him to go a third consecutive day… for some reason I have yet to hear.
Just want to voice that I’d like Shreve moved up the food chain. In the one plus seasons I’ve seen of him, I do not believe I have seen a poor outing… Righties pitch to lefties all the time, why can’t Lefties pitch to righties?
If injuries or demotions occur, the guy Halderman (?) in AAA is a monster.
Wobbit, disagreeing with you on this one. Holderman throws 100, but his K% is only 6.5%. Might he be another Bobby Parnell that has a straight fastball and needs a knuckle curve or something to change the eye level? Also, for a guy with such nice numbers against, that walk percentage of 3.2 BB/9 isn’t anything to celebrate; kind of very normal.
The averages against look nice over his 8 innings pitched, but you talk about small sample size, let him start dominating a bit because he is not anywhere near there yet. Don’t forget, he got knocked around in spring training.
The way that Showalter is using his bullpen year makes the challenge of doubleheader less worrisome. Scherzer and Bassitt are scheduled to pitch so that scheduled should reduce the high leverage innings that the bullpen has to work.
Diaz and Lugo are capable closes.
I admit I only saw Holderman pitch once, but obviously I was impressed. He’s huge, threw really hard and put it where he wanted it… I wondered why we had not heard of him nor seen him in the impending plans…
Funny you mention Bobby Parnell… my poster child for the most hittable 100mph ever!
I’ll divulge that I thought about what Tylor Megill would be like as a closer. Big, imposing (Lee Smith), hard fastball to square up (Goose Gossage), unflappable demeanor (Mariano Rivera), and probably capable of 100+ for short outings.
Wobbit, look up Holderman’s Baseball Reference page, and see his positions next to his picture. It made me look twice!