The New York Mets are streaking, having won their last four contests, seven of their last 10, and 16 of their last 20. During most of that streak, however, closer Edwin Diaz hasn’t been at his finest. For a stretch between July 22 and August 28, covering 12 games and 10 innings, the stellar ninth-inning stopper posted a mediocre 5.40 ERA. If you take a look at his 3.59 season ERA, you know he is capable of giving the Mets much, much more than that.
It’s important to point out that he has been righting the ship in recent outings, though. As he gets further and further removed from the gruesome knee injury he suffered in the spring of 2023, he gets more comfortable with his mechanics and now resembles the pitcher we all know he is: the single most dominant reliever in the National League.
On Thursday, Diaz contributed another clean inning with two strikeouts in the Mets’ 10-6 win against the Phillies.
Mets closer Edwin Diaz is rounding into form
In his last 10 innings dating back to August 29, the Mets star has conceded just a single run for a 0.90 ERA. That tough stretch of play that he went through in August is a thing of the past now.
Over those 10 innings, he has walked just one hitter and struck out a whopping 19. That’s where the progress he has made can be noticed: in August, his command was a bit off, but that’s also in the rearview mirror now.
The Mets are still a rock-solid team without Diaz, or with him not pitching well. With him at his best, however, their upside is much higher. There might not be a better reliever in baseball when he’s on and fully confident about what he can do on a mound. Now that he is back to full strength both physically and mentally, the sound of the trumpets at Citi Field is louder than ever.