Matz gets roughed up but then settles down

JUPITER, Fla. — Steven Matz’s first inning against Derek Jeter’s Marlins Wednesday was a slog that required the Long Island lefty to toss 34 pitches to record three outs.

By the time the bottom half of the inning was over, Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland had already visited the mound, Matz had quietly cursed himself, and Miami had plated two runs on two hits and two walks. It appeared Matz, who is battling for a rotation spot with Zack Wheeler, was in for another long day, similar to his first two underwhelming spring training starts.

“I just felt like I was trying to find it the first inning, instead of just letting it go and trusting my stuff. I was trying to be too fine,” said Matz. “I had a great bullpen before the game, was feeling really good. When I got ahead in there I was trying to make the perfect pitch instead of just trusting it and having conviction on what I had out there.”

Matz said Eiland told him to “attack these guys, go right after ’em,” and the Mets southpaw took that advice to heart, rebounding to pitch well over the next 3.1 innings. Matz finished by giving up the two runs on three hits, but he struck out five and walked three in 4.1 innings. Matz threw 77 pitches total (44 strikes) after laboring through the first inning. “Obviously (Matz) didn’t have a great feel in the first inning. Probably lacked a little bit of conviction. He kind of got upset at that first inning, said, ‘Enough’s enough,’ and he went out there and attacked like he should,” said Mets manager Mickey Callaway.

Matz’s spring training ERA is an unsightly 10.80, but Callaway said he isn’t any closer to naming the rest of his starting rotation after announcing Tuesday that Noah Syndergaard would start Opening Day and Jacob deGrom would pitch in the second game of the season. Matt Harvey and Jason Vargas are expected to be locks for the rotation; that leaves one spot open, although Callaway said he would not use a five-man rotation throughout the season.

“It’s going to be a fluid situation anyway, once you get into the season,” said Callaway. “We’re not going to use five starters all year. It really doesn’t matter who breaks camp. In my experience, the guy that breaks camp usually doesn’t stay in the big leagues as long as the guy that doesn’t. I’m not too concerned about naming (the rest of the rotation) at any certain time.”

After Wheeler pitched a dud Tuesday night against the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Callaway said then that one bad outing won’t decide for him whether the pitcher will go to the bullpen or in the rotation. “Obviously (Wheeler’s) probably not pleased with it,” Callaway said Tuesday about the right-hander’s outing, when he gave up five runs on seven hits in three innings. “He battled himself a little bit. Just probably didn’t feel as good as he has the last few games.”

Matz, for his part, said Wednesday that he wasn’t focusing on the battle for a rotation spot. “I’m not worried about it at this point,” said Matz. “Even if I had a guaranteed spot in the rotation, it wouldn’t change how I work.”

Matz walked Magneuris Sierra to open the game, and followed that by giving up a single to Miguel Rojas. Cameron Maybin walked to load the bases with two outs, and Derek Dietrich hit a two-run single in the next at-bat. Matz worked a 1-2-3 second and never got into trouble again, before being replaced by Rafael Montero in the fifth. “I felt like myself out there. I like to work fast and attack the hitters. That’s something I wasn’t doing the first inning,” said Matz. “I was pitching away from contact. I feel way more comfortable on the mound right now. That is the temptation — you put the work in, and then you want to go out there and you want to do more, instead of just trusting in your preparation and what you’ve done. I would say I’ve been battling that my whole career.”