GOT HIS FEET WET

Mets manager Mendoza has trial run in 1st Grapefruit League game

PORT ST. LUCIE — At times it wasn’t pretty and other times, there were flashes of potential, but the Mets played their first spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at Clover Park, marking the managerial debut of Carlos Mendoza.

Of course, the game didn’t count, but it served as the first trial run for Mendoza and his new staff. The Mets brought in Antoan Richardson to coach first base and Mike Sarbaugh to coach third, John Gibbons replaced Eric Chavez as the bench coach (Chavez remains with the team as an assistant hitting coach) and Glenn Sherlock stayed on as the catching coordinator. Mendoza has never worked with this staff, but the rookie manager came into the game knowing exactly what he wanted to see.

“It’s getting the feel for the communication in the dugout,” Mendoza said before the Mets fell 10-5 to the Cardinals. “It’s with Gibby, with Glenn, who is running around controlling the running game, me with Sarby for our sign system. Some of the things that we’ve got to get used to. I think it’s important that we get game reps as well.”

Mendoza was happy with how the communication remained consistent throughout the game. The 44-year-old had no nerves and was calm as he surveyed the crowd of 6,535 people.

“We got down early in the game and we were still locked in with the signs,” Mendoza said. “To have the crowd, it was good to have people here.”

Right-hander Tylor Megill, who is vying for a rotation spot, struggled to find the strike zone early, giving up a run in the first inning. He hit the leadoff man, gave up a single and threw one wild before getting the first out. Leadoff man Brendan Donovan scored with one out.

But overall it was a positive outing for Megill, who went two innings and threw 39 pitches. His velocity sat around 94-96.

“First inning was a bit of a struggle,” Megill said. “First batter cutter, was a cutter then straight to the stretch. I felt a little rushed and then slowed down towards the end. Gained control back in the second inning went pretty smoothly as well.”

Megill threw two of his new offerings, the cutter and the split-finger fastball, to mixed results. Getting ahead of hitters is key in being able to throw the splitter, the pitch the team has nicknamed the “American Spork.”

“Being ahead and being able to throw it,” Megill said. “Not when I’m behind, more so when I’m ahead so that’s where attacking the strike zone, getting ahead and being able to utilize the leverage counts.”

Nate Lavender, a left-handed reliever in big league camp for the first time this year, struck out the side in the eighth, needing only 14 pitches, 11 of which were strikes. The 24-year-old Chicago-area native used a hesitation move in his lineup, not unlike the one Nestor Cortes of the Yankees uses.

Lavender didn’t exactly pattern himself after Cortes, though the sidewinder did say he finds Cortes’ ability to throw from various arm slots an “inspiration.” It’s a move he picked up from a throwing program and started working with a few years ago, finding that it helps him maintain his balance. A bonus is the deception.

“I’m big on sort of a leg lift, and then I bounced with my back leg. Instead of just holding it, I would sort of balance a little bit,” Lavender said. “Now I do it as much as I can, or as much as I feel.”

Lavender used to use it mostly with his fastball, but he’s capable of using it with every pitch. Sitting in the low 90s, his fastball isn’t particularly hard, but he still misses a lot of bats with it. Lavender has missed bats at every level of the Mets minor league system and development officials think highly of his competitive abilities.

The Mets see a future closer or setup man in a player they consider to be a “bulldog.” His explanation of his fastball would certainly fit with that description.

“There’s well behind it,” he said. “I like to say that if you throw 92 with a little doubt in there, it’s probably going to get hit pretty hard. If you throw 92 with some grit and some intention behind it, you’re going to be alright.”

The first spring training game was a learning experience for some. Others, however, passed this first test with flying colors.