Callaway eyes more innings out of starters

It’s not against the rules for a starting pitcher to work beyond six innings.

Zack Wheeler taught that lesson Wednesday, when he became the first Mets starter this season to work into the seventh inning (and complete it). Now manager Mickey Callaway is looking for more.

“They probably feel like they could have gotten off to a better start as a whole,” Callaway said, referring to Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz. “But I think it’s been just fine, the way they are attacking. If they were walking guys and then all of a sudden gave up a homer, I would be concerned. But they are not walking guys, their stuff is fine. They will end up getting on a roll and pitching deeper into games for us.”

Mets starters are averaging just over 5 ¹/₃ innings per appearance, which has created extra work for the bullpen. Callaway noted he has played it conservatively early with his starters, but expects to loosen his grip.

“I didn’t think this early in the season it was worth it,” Callaway said. “I wanted them to get in a good groove and be fresh and take that extra day off. That’s why we are not shuffling around the rotation too much when we have an off day. They are going to find that groove pretty soon.”

Tomas Nido made a strong impression on the Mets during spring training with his handling of the team’s pitchers, but club officials have to decide on a direction following Travis d’Arnaud’s placement on the disabled list with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.

One line of thought is the Mets might give Nido a shot if they intend to continue a job share at the position with Kevin Plawecki. But the Mets might be less inclined to keep Nido, who turned 24 on Thursday, in the majors to play just once a week.

As part of their “Strikeouts for Savings” promotion, the Mets will discount select tickets by 56 percent on the homestand. The deduction reflects the 56 strikeouts recorded by Mets pitchers on the last road trip.