Diaz feels ‘great’ after notching 4th save
Edwin Diaz couldn’t have scripted a better start to his post-injury season.
After notching his second save in as many days, and the 100th of his Mets career, the closer has allowed just one earned run over seven innings. He’s looked every bit like the dominant reliever the franchise had prior to missing all of last year with a knee injury.
“I feel good, man. I feel amazing. My arm feels great,” Diaz said after notching his fourth save of the season in a come-from-behind, 6-3 victory over the Pirates at Citi Field. “I’ve been able to work, bounce back really good, so I feel really good.”
Diaz has pitched on consecutive days twice, and has reported no issues. He has struck out 10 over his seven innings of work and finished off this game by pitching around a one-out walk and retiring Oneil Cruz on a fly ball to end it.
The only thing Diaz would like to improve upon is his velocity. His fastball is down a few miles per hour. On Monday, he topped out at 98 mph. He’s averaging 96.7 mph on his fastball, down from 99.1 in 2022.
“Everything has been pretty good, just my [velocity]. It’s up and down a little,” the closer said. “Being down a year ago, I will get back my [velocity]. I have to keep throwing, throwing to get my arm stronger. … Today I was 96, 97, so I expect to go harder next time.”
Last year was a lost season for him. He suffered a torn patellar tendon during a celebration in the World Baseball Classic. So far this year, he is making up for lost time, earning the five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets in November 2022.
“Every time they give me the ball, they expect good results from me and I expect the same thing, and I’m doing it right now,” he said.
Mets notes / Page 32
The Mets are still counting on Brett Baty to be their regular third baseman, something that was in doubt after he put up just a .474 OPS against left-handed pitchers last year.
The lefty-swinging Baty entered Monday with a .786 OPS versus lefties so far in 2024, part of his all-around improved play.
“For him to be an everyday player at the big league level, he’s gonna have to face lefties,’’ Carlos Mendoza said before Baty went 1-for-3 in a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh Monday. “And I’m comfortable with it.”
METS NOTES
The early signs are encouraging.
“He’s shown the ability to hit lefties,” said Mendoza, who put Baty in the lineup against another southpaw, Pittsburgh’s Martin Perez, on Monday. “I like the at-bats. He’s staying in there and going the other way.”
The 24-year-old struggled in plenty of aspects of his game last season, so a solid start was important, according to hitting coach Jeremy Barnes.
“Last year, he had so many growing pains,’’ Barnes said. “A player can’t help but think, ‘What’s going on?’ So for him to hit the ground running against lefties was important this year. That stuff matters. And the only way to improve is to get at-bats up here. This is huge for his confidence.”
Mendoza said there would be times when he will “pick his spots” and give Baty a day off against certain left-handers or pinch-hit for him, but that hasn’t been an issue yet.
“I like where he’s at offensively against righties and lefties,” Mendoza said.
Barnes added: “He looks like the Brett Baty we thought we’d see all along.”
Francisco Lindor
reached base three times for the first time this season in the win.
Asked what’s been different about the shortstop who has struggled, Mendoza said, “Nothing. He’s a really good player and getting results. He’s sticking to the process.”
Lindor has been in the lineup every day so far this season, but his playing time is something Mendoza said he would monitor as the year progresses.
“It’s some of the conversations I have with him,” the manager said. “He wants to be there every day, but we have to be mindful to protect him.”
Mendoza said he would consider factors like the team’s schedule when making those decisions, but added, “I don’t think we’re there yet.”
He also noted he would look
for other times to get Lindor at least a breather, like he did when he removed him for an inning in Thursday’s blowout win in Atlanta.
Pete Alonso was named NL Player of the Week on Monday after going 9-for-21 with four homers and seven RBIs the previous week. The first baseman — and free agent to be — shrugged off a sluggish first work to the season, breaking out with four straight multi-hit games last week. … Adam Ottavino pitched a scoreless eighth and has retired 17 straight batters.
Butch Huskey, who wore No. 42 with the Mets when the number was retired throughout MLB in 1997, was at Citi Field on Monday as part of the team’s commemoration of Jackie Robinson Day.
Robinson’s widow, Rachel, was also in attendance.
Huskey said he wore the number in honor of Robinson throughout his career.
“I told myself if I ever made it to professional baseball from high school, I would try to wear No. 42,” Huskey said. “Everything worked out. I got to New York and was able to wear the number. It makes you play a little bit harder … I loved it.”
Mendoza noted that as a native of Venezuela, his path to Mets managerial job may have been helped along by Robinson’s trailblazing.
“I don’t know, without what he did, if I’m sitting here,’’ Mendoza said.