Matz, back in the Citi, solid but takes loss
After 112 games, 579.2 innings and countless memories with the Mets, Steven Matz returned to Citi Field on Friday to make his first start as a visiting player. The lefty threw 5.2 innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits. He gave up a two-run homer to former teammate Pete Alonso and took the loss for the Jays in the Mets’ 3-0 win.
Matz was traded from the Mets to the Blue Jays this offseason for a trio of young pitchers. Matz — who’s from Stony Brook and was drafted by the Mets in 2009 out of Ward Melville High School — is midway through his first professional season outside of the Mets’ organization. His last start in Citi Field and last time in orange and blue (on Sept. 18, 2020) did not provide the closure he likely would have wanted in hindsight.
That day Matz served up eight hits, six earned runs and two homers to the Braves. They extricated him from the mound after 2.2 innings, and four months later, he was a Blue Jay.
The Mets honored Matz with a tribute video at the stadium on Friday night. The 30-year-old lefty is 23rd in club history in career strikeouts, and as a rookie in 2015, he helped the Mets reach their fifth World Series.
At .266, Mets’ left-handed hitters have the second-best batting average in the league against southpaws.
“Matzy’s a guy that could work even against lefties because his second-best pitch is the changeup, as we all know,” Rojas grinned. “He has his curveball as a strike stealer more than a putaway pitch, and our lefties hit lefties.”
COOKIE STAYS JARRED
Even with Friday’s acquisition of Rich Hill, the Mets still don’t have a full and healthy five-man rotation. This left many observant minds wondering if Carlos Carrasco could make his first start as a Met on Sunday, a day where the team has not listed a probable starter yet. Rojas, pressed about Carrasco’s availability, said he’s not ready to run him out there at the moment.
“Not yet. He threw a side yesterday and he feels good, but those conversations are just brewing about where his next start is going to be,” Rojas divulged. “We haven’t committed as to whether it will be in the minor leagues again as a rehab assignment or he’s actually going to join the big league team.
MCNEIL FATIGUED
Jeff McNeil is not in the starting lineup for Friday night’s tilt with Toronto. He’s started 14 of the Mets’ last 17 games, sitting out only for games that were part of a doubleheader. He did leave the game on Wednesday in Cincinnati with fatigue, and though Rojas said after that game that McNeil wasn’t experiencing any soreness or a new injury, he’ll still be held out of the weekend’s series opener.
“He got tested,” Rojas explained. “They ran him and he’s still a little fatigued. His left leg is the one that’s more fatigued as far as pushing. We’re being extremely cautious with him just because this takes him back to a similar spot that he was in before he got hurt in Tampa.”
The left leg that’s currently experiencing fatigue is the same one that suffered the hamstring injury in Tampa that Rojas referenced. That injury, which happened in May, kept McNeil out for over a month.
PERAZA NOT READY
Jose Peraza’s fractured finger sounds as though it will keep him out for a fairly long time. When asked about a potential return, Rojas didn’t offer much clarity.
“I don’t know. This is a fracture. So, he’s going to be wearing a splint for a few weeks. He can do some activity (with his) lower half, but he probably won’t be able to do anything with that finger. I don’t have a sense of a timeline right now.”
If Peraza is indeed out for an extended period of time, the Mets may want to look for a utility infielder on the trade market, perhaps Washington’s Josh Harrison.