New York Mets: The Resurgence of Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia

New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard
Jul 18, 2019; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this season Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia headlined a group of underachieving Mets which led to their horrible first half of the year. During the Mets huge turn around, they have been at the forefront of their new found success.

Before the rain caused an early ending, Syndergaard was dealing Thursday night. He retired the first 16 batters against him before Tyler Naquin blooped a single out of the reach of Juan Lagares. In total Syndergaard went six innings, allowed two hits and struck out five on just 73 pitches. He has a 1.82 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched during the second half. Syndergaard’s ERA on May 7 was 5.14 and has lowered it down to 3.71.

Familia Time?

Prior to 2019, Jeurys Familia was one of the most consistent relievers in all of baseball. It earned him the three year deal in the offseason and he was counted on to set up Edwin Diaz along with Seth Lugo. Familia was dreadful in the first half of the season, he had a 7.50 ERA and 22 walks in 30 innings. The Mets even avoided using him in any important situation through the end of the first half.

Familia has returned to his All-Star form with a 1.64 ERA in the second half and is quickly becoming a dependable option in the Mets bullpen. Mets fans tend to think of home runs from Alex Gordon and Conor Gillaspie when it come to Familia which forces them to forget about how dominant he was. Without Familia, their magical 2015 run does not happen and now it does not seem like this year’s run will be possible without him.

The way Mickey Callaway is using his bullpen now, it seems like he is trying to avoid using Edwin Diaz. He would prefer to have Familia throw the eighth and Lugo throw the ninth. Friday night’s game again the Braves will be a huge test for the bullpen, assuming deGrom goes deep into the game. Familia likely will not pitch three days in a row which could force Callaway’s hand to throw Diaz in the ninth if the Mets have a lead. If the Mets can get Diaz right, they can finally have a legitimate trio in their bullpen.