Mets catcher Luis Torrens gets back-to-back starts vs. Dodgers
Luis Torrens of the Mets fields a ball hit by Dalton Rushing of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning as Tommy Edman scores a run at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It may be too soon to tell, but the Mets might have a catching controversy on their hands.
Luis Torrens got the start for Sunday night’s series finale against the Dodgers, the first time he has started in back-to-back games since Francisco Alvarez returned on April 25 from a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.
Manager Carlos Mendoza was asked if the move was an indicator of something bigger and replied, “Not necessarily. Since [Alvarez] got back, I’ve been . . . talking about the balance where they both were going to play. I thought that today was a good opportunity for Luis to go back-to-back and hopefully he . . . has a great game.
“But there’s a really good chance [Alvarez] will play tomorrow regardless of what happens today.”
Both catchers rank among the best in the baseball at controlling a running game, with Torrens throwing out 53% of would-be base-stealers and Alvarez gunning down 40%.
However, Torrens, who entered Sunday with a .276 batting average for the whole season, has been the more productive hitter since they began splitting time. Since his return, Alvarez was batting .232 with one home run and seven RBIs in 18 starts. Torrens doesn’t have the home run power Alvarez boasts but had a .320/.469/.520 slash line in seven starts.
Mendoza called having two catchers performing well “a good problem” and “a luxury.” He informed Alvarez after Saturday night’s win that Torrens would get the start on Sunday.
“I told him and he was ‘whatever the team needs, I’ll be ready to go. I’m going to be out there working hard, and whenever you need me, I’ll be ready,’ ” Mendoza said. “When I’m making decisions where there’s a lineup change or playing time, I’m going to let them know way ahead of time, and whatever the team needs, they’re both up for it.”
No fear of Dodgers' bats
The Dodgers’ three MVPs — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — were very effective against the Mets when Los Angeles won the 2024 National League Championship Series, but through the first two games of this rematch, the Mets pretty much silenced them.
Ohtani had a 1.185 OPS and Betts had a 1.182 OPS in the six-game NLCS. Freeman was battling injury and played in only four games.
In the first two games of this series, the trio went 2-for-25. David Peterson went 7 2⁄3 innings on Saturday, holding them to 1-for-10, and the Mets used Griffin Canning and every reliever in the bullpen in Friday’s 13-inning marathon.
Canning said it’s less about the team’s universal strategy and more about an attitude.
“They’re great players and they’re very deserving of all the praise that they get, but we’re major-league pitchers, too,” he said. “We’re confident in ourselves and of our stuff. You have to have the ‘just another hitter’ attitude. You’d be doing yourself a disservice to put them on a pedestal when you’re facing them.
“They’ve also seen a lot of different pitchers with different [arsenals] they use to attack,” he added. “That’s not to a hitter’s advantage.”
Mendoza was especially impressed with the pitching that kept the Dodgers off the board for three extra innings Friday, when both teams started with a runner at second.
“There’s very few holes in their swings . . . so we did a great job limiting the damage,” he said. “You’ve got to respect the fact that they’re some of the best hitters in the game, but we also know that we’re good, and we want to challenge them.”
Players ramping up
Sean Manaea (oblique) threw a bullpen session before the game and Mendoza said the next step in his ramp-up will be facing hitters . . . Jose Siri (tibia fracture) took batting practice but still is only running straight ahead at 80% . . . Ohtani took a big step in his plan to return to pitching this season after his 2023 surgery to repair a UCL tear. He threw his first simulated game (22 pitches) in the afternoon. While Ohtani has continued to hit, he has not pitched since Aug. 23, 2023.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
