New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has taken keen notice of his star left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana’s recent hot stretch.
Quintana has been on a tear over his last four games. The veteran talent has won three of his last four starts, sporting a 2.66 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Dating back to June 9, the Colombian pitcher owns a dominant 7-2 record behind a blistering 2.31 ERA and a 4.47 FIP.
The former 2016 MLB All-Star’s numbers are particularly special considering the slow start he had to the 2024 campaign. Quintana’s struggles were pronounced from his first start until the end of May, where he went 5-6 with an inflated 5.06 ERA. So what caused such a sharp shift in productivity?
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza attributed Jose Quintana’s bounce back to breaking ball
According to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, per SNY on X, Quintana has reached the heights he has this season, over the last four games in particular, because he has leaned more on his breaking ball (h/t Grant Young of New York Mets on SI):
“Overall, the way he’s using his breaking ball,” Mendoza said.
“That pitch is becoming a real weapon for him. We went through struggles, and once he started using the curveball, not only to get ahead but to put hitters away,” Mendoza added. “Getting that pitch where he uses the fastball in and off to righties, and then the changeup.”
Quintana’s breaking ball production beneath the surface
Quintana’s pitch of choice has been his sinker, which he has thrown 30.3 percent of the time. Behind that has been his curveball, which he’s relied on 23.6 percent of the time.
His curveball and slider have contributed to his breaking run value of five, given to him by Baseball Savant and ranking him in the 84th percentile of all players at his position in 2024.
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July marked the first month that Quintana’s curveball out-tallied all of his other pitches. He threw it 156 times, more than his sinker and every other pitch in his arsenal, giving credence to Mendoza’s assessment. There’s no coincidence that his rise in breaking ball usage has directly coincided with his elevated play, and come in concert with the Mets’ revival over that same span. Quintana will look to keep this level of play as the season winds down. He will be vital in the Mets’ playoff push and a hopeful berth that could result in a deep run.
