CHICAGO — Carlos Mendoza has a tough line to walk this week. With four games left to play and few reliable pitchers, the Mets manager has to piece together 27 outs on a nightly basis, while still taking into consideration the next day’s game. But it’s nearly impossible to manage that, so Mendoza has taken to managing every game this week as if it’s Game 7 of the World Series.
“I feel a little bit better today than I felt yesterday,” Mendoza said Thursday at Wrigley Field ahead of the rubber match against the Chicago Cubs. “To be honest with you, I think the biggest thing is the quality [of pitches] because we’ve asked a lot of these guys. There’s a few guys that are available today that I didn’t have yesterday, but again, with how much we’ve used them, that’s kind of like the concerning part here.”
Aside from right-hander Nolan McLean, Thursday’s starting pitcher, the Mets’ most reliable pitchers are in the bullpen, and the team thinks they can get more out of some of their starters if they use them out of the bullpen as bulk relievers. Seeing the success of the tandem start, Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes volunteered to come out of the bullpen Wednesday night in relief of Jonah Tong.
Manaea went to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner on Tuesday, informing him that he needed to be down Tuesday, but moving forward, he would be ready whenever needed. Holmes did the same. Both have worked in relief roles in the past, so there was no adjustment period needed.
“It takes what it takes,” Manaea said. “I think guys in here want to win, so they’re putting the team ahead themselves, is kind of what that says. So, whatever it takes, we’ll do.”
Closer Edwin Diaz has been called on for two-out saves in recent months, earning another one Tuesday. Huascar Brazobán has made 50 appearances this season, despite spending time in Triple-A. Left-hander Gregory Soto, acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles, has made 23 since late July, and left-hander Brooks Raley has made 27 since returning from the injured list around the same time.
Raley has allowed only six earned runs, and only 3-of-16 inherited runners have scored on him. He’s been the unsung hero of the bullpen in the second half, bringing a steadying presence to the bullpen and more heat than he used to. While Raley has never been a hard thrower, he’s added a few more miles-per-hour to each pitch since Tommy John, allowing him to use his sinker more often. Going from 88-90 MPH to 90-92 might not seem like a huge difference, but it’s just enough to matter.
“I think every mile an hour — depending on the player — matters, especially with the breaking balls,” Raley said. “I attribute it to being healthy. All of us play with bumps and bruises and banged up and whatnot. Obviously, I’ve been doing that for a while. After surgery, Dr. [Keith] Meister told me my elbow was in pretty bad shape. So just getting a lot of that clarity, knowing that surgery was going to fix that if everything went well.”
It went as well as it possibly could have. Raley feels like the surgery was able to add mileage to his elbow, in a sense. He started the season unsigned, with teams telling him and his agent that a pitcher coming off ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery at 37 years old wouldn’t be able to get a job again.
“A lot of people told me that I wouldn’t be able to throw in 25-30 games each year. People told me I wouldn’t be the same player because of my age,” Raley said. “People would tell me that I was a bigger risk. I was a red mark on their sheet. ‘There’s no way we’d sign you because of these risks.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll show you. That’s been cool for me to go check that box because I knew what I put up here when I had a healthy elbow, and I know what I bring to this game when I’m healthy.”
The Mets took a chance, signing him earlier in the season while he was still rehabbing. Now, he’s invaluable.
“His willingness to take the baseball and come in in huge spots, whether it’s to get a lefty out, or to get us three outs in a high leverage situation, you appreciate that given how his elbow is now,” Mendoza said. “We’re pushing him. We’re pushing him big time.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Mets made a move for a fresh arm Thursday, designating left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment, and calling up right-hander Kevin Herget from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Chris Devenski was outrighted to Triple-A after being designated last week. A veteran reliever, Devenski has pitched in a World Series, and made 14 postseason appearances, plus he’s stretched out to throw about 40 pitches, which could be beneficial for the Mets if they need him this weekend in Miami.
The Mets may not be following the exact blueprint for winning games, but they’re working with what they have in an effort to hold down that third Wild Card playoff spot.
