The New York Mets had a golden chance to win the second game of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. They got to the eighth inning holding a one-run lead, and manager Carlos Mendoza called Edwin Diaz’s number to get a four-out save.
But Diaz just hasn’t been the same this year, in his first season back from his gruesome knee injury of 2023. Not only did the Mets stopper walk the first two hitters he faced to load the bases (he encountered one man on with two outs when he entered the game), but he then surrendered a grand slam to Corbin Carroll to lose the lead and the chance to win the contest.
Sure, there should be no shame in allowing a homer to Carroll, the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year who hasn’t had his best campaign in 2024, but is supremely talented nonetheless. But the old Diaz, the one who posted a 1.31 ERA in 2022 with 118 strikeouts in just 62 innings, probably would have dominated him.
- Mets decline $7.75 million club option for bullpen arm
- Mets analyst doesn’t think the team should be all-in on superstar free agent
- Mets sign interesting right-handed pitcher to major league deal
The Mets closer has looked off in 2024
The 2024 Diaz has six blown saves, a 4.30 ERA, and 15 walks. His strikeout stuff is mostly there, even if it’s not at his 2022 peak, with 54 punchouts in 37.2 innings, but something seems off and the Mets know it.
It’s most likely his command. On Wednesday night, eight of the first 10 pitches he threw to the plate were balls, and then he hung a slider to Carroll and he punished it. It might have taken Diaz a while to trust his body after the injury and that may be affecting his mechanics. It’s all speculation, though.
What we know is that it was a crushing defeat for the Mets, who watched the Atlanta Braves win and increase their lead in the last Wild Card to four games.
“It’s a tough loss today,” Díaz told the Mets official site. “We had it. We had it. We’ve got to keep playing baseball, and at the end of the season, we’ll see where we are.”
