POOR STARTS PRESSURE METS’ MATZ:
Lefty’s spring struggles put him in Wheel trouble
PORT ST. LUCIE — When Zack Wheeler is throwing his curveball for strikes, especially early in counts to make his 96-mph fastball all the more effective, he still profiles as that front-of-the-rotation starter the Mets envisioned before all of the down time the last three years.
On Wednesday, Wheeler did just that, and his outing here against the Yankees was impressive enough to force the Mets’ decision-makers to at least consider re-thinking their plan for the starting rotation.
Which is another way of saying: Steven Matz is on the clock.
Mickey Callaway isn’t about to say that, of course. After Wheeler’s strong start on Wednesday, which the manager found impressive, he deflected questions about the starting rotation, saying “we have a battle going” that includes the likes of Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman.
In truth, though, only Matz is vulnerable so far among those who slot in behind Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, namely Matt Harvey and Jason Vargas, and with Opening Day three weeks away, the lefty from Long Island needs to start pitching well as soon as Friday against the Tigers.
Ideally the Mets prefer to start the season with Matz in the rotation, but two poor starts have raised questions about his command and, perhaps more significantly, his confidence.
It’s no small matter after Matz’s struggles last season, which translated to a rather hideous 6.08 ERA over 13 starts. Whether it was related to the need for nerve transposition surgery in his elbow or not, Matz so far looks tentative, to the point where Mickey Callaway told me the lefty needs to get over a mental hurdle.
“He’s so worried about results that he’s not committing to the pitch,” Callaway said a couple of days ago.
The manager said he’s convinced it’s only a matter of time before Matz regains his confidence, but how long do the Mets wait?
Pitching coach Dave Eiland told me early in camp that with six potential starters, he and @MikeLupica Callaway need to make a decision “sooner rather than later” about who’s starting, in part because they will need time to transition someone to the bullpen.
“Because whoever it is,” Eiland said, “you’ve got to condition his body and mind to pitch in that role.”
All along Wheeler loomed as the odd man out, unless Matz, Harvey, or even Vargas, the newly-signed free agent, pitched their way out of the rotation here in spring training.
So far only Matz has put himself in that position. And while the Mets have concerns they’d be putting the lefty at some risk in a bullpen role, considering how often he has been injured in his three bigleague seasons, there has to come a point when such a concern is secondary to what’s best for the ballclub.
If Wheeler weren’t forcing the issue, then the Mets could give Matz all the time he needs to find his form, at least during spring training. But the 27-year-old righthander is pitching well enough to think it’s feasible he can still find the consistency to be a dominant starter.
On Wednesday Wheeler looked sharp in pitching three scoreless innings against the Yankees, striking out four hitters while walking none.
Most notably he used his offspeed curveball effectively. Mostly he used it to get ahead early in counts when hitters were looking for his fastball, but against top Yankee prospect Estevan Florial he threw three straight to get ahead 1-2 and then struck him out swinging at a slider.
“It makes his fastball that much better,” Callaway said. “Throwing his curveball like that gives hitters something to worry about. You get a guy with really good stuff and hitters can’t start eliminating pitches, he can become very effective.
“Zack has a really good arsenal. If he can use it the right way, he should be successful.”
Wheeler said his curveball was a “focal point” during his two bullpen sessions with Eiland since his last outing.
“Dave is good at seeing the small stuff,” Wheeler said. “He helped me out with my curveball. When I can throw it like that, it opens up a wide range of options for me.”
Since making his unhappiness apparent early in camp when the Mets signed Vargas, Wheeler has made a point of avoiding the subject of whether he’ll start or relieve, understanding that he hasn’t done enough in his career to complain.
“I’m just here to pitch and give the team innings,” he said on Wednesday. “Whatever happens happens.”
It’s the right thing to say, but he’s determined to make the decision on his bosses difficult, and Wednesday’s start was a big step toward doing just that. ’ve written that Wheeler could be very valuable in a multiinning relief role, similar to what Chad Green did for the Yankees last season, but that only makes sense if all of the other starters are pitching well.
In other words, Matz better find his game. And quickly.
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