Laura Albanese: Mets' bullpen chess game getting more complicated by the day
Mets' Zach Thornton pitches during the second inning of his MLB debut against the Nationals at Nationals Park on Wednesday in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images/Scott Taetsch
WASHINGTON
The game is chess and the pieces are disappearing off the board. Carlos Mendoza doesn’t pretend otherwise, because really, there’s no point.
For the moderate success the Mets have had this May, there’s been a shadow that accompanies even victories. They felt it during their feel-good, extra-inning win over the Nationals on Monday, and are still dealing with the after-effects while mired in this stretch of 16 straight games. They certainly were aware of it during their 8-4 loss to the Nationals at Nationals Park Wednesday.
See, it was on that Monday that Mendoza was forced to use six pitchers in relief of Christian Scott, and spent a solid 15 minutes after the game discussing with David Stearns exactly how they planned to survive the next nine straight games. The immediate answer was twofold — the Mets kept in a shaky Nolan McLean likely longer than they would have in their loss Tuesday, and rode Daniel Duarte for the final 2 1⁄3 innings.
They also called up lefty Zach Thornton to start on Wednesday, but Thornton, who maxed out at 84 pitches in Triple-A this season, didn’t make it through the fifth. He allowed four runs and four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 4 1⁄3 innings.
And so the bullpen door swung open again. This time, it was Austin Warren, who came in with the Mets down 4-2 and allowed two runs, and Craig Kimbrel, who allowed another two over 2 2⁄3. It was the longest outing of Kimbrel’s 17-year career.
But at this point, it’s almost risky to waste high-leverage relievers in a game that looks likely to end in a loss. But these are the types of compromises you have to make when you don’t have everything you need at your disposal.
Thursday presents a different compromise: David Peterson, who’s pitched far better with an opener in front of him, isn’t scheduled to have that luxury in the series finale — no doubt an attempt to spell the bullpen.
Every day seems to bring these new equations — contingency plans upon contingency plans geared toward the simple act of survival. To wit: Jonah Tong was pulled from his Triple-A start just in case the Mets need him for the next series in Miami. Thornton was called up in part because he pounds the zone — a hope for efficiency from a
younger pitcher.
And though the bullpen has performed admirably of late, there’s no doubt it’s taking its toll.
“Bullpen-wise, I’m waiting to see how some of the guys are feeling today after they play catch,” Mendoza said before the game Wednesday. “They’ve been very honest with us, the communication, understanding where the team is at and also understanding where they’re at, I think, has been really good. We’ll continue to be that way.”
Going into Wednesday, the unit’s 200 2⁄3 innings were fifth most in baseball.
None of this feels sustainable, and it’ll be up to Stearns and Mendoza to somehow, some way find a more permanent solution. Bullpens get tired over the course of the season, and overuse in May tends to look like ineffectiveness in September.
The “‘easy to say, hard to do” solution is getting more from their starters. That became even more challenging after Clay Holmes broke his leg last Friday. Sean Manaea has shown brief flashes of his old self, but not enough to free him from his relief role. Kodai Senga has done his now annual disappearing act, and Freddy Peralta has never been known for his efficiency.
Having any one of those players take the next step would be beyond valuable. Until they do though, all the Mets can do is plug up the holes and pray they can bale water until their next off day on May 28. It will be a true test of Mendoza’s bullpen management, of Stearns’ creativity, and of the current unit’s resilience.
At the very least, they’ve been fortunate in that final respect, and sometimes from sources that don’t get as much fanfare as they ought. You’d be hard pressed to walk around Citi Field and spot a Huascar Brazoban jersey, but the 36-year-old righthander, who only made his major-league debut in 2022, has played a pivotal role in this team’s survival.
He pitched the 10th and 11th in their win Monday, and is already up to 24 1⁄3 innings this season, with a 1.85 ERA. He’s also done it all: He’s opened, he’s closed, and he’s eaten up innings in the middle.
“That’s our job,” Brazoban said via an interpreter. “We go out there to compete. Everybody has been doing [their] job. We’ve got to go out there and compete every time.”
There’s Luke Weaver, who’s pitched 20 1⁄3 innings — many of them high leverage. And long man Tobias Myers, who may eventually be in consideration for a starting role (though right now, he seems to be too valuable in relief). Devin Williams, too, has been cruising of late.
But there’s only so far they can be pushed without inordinate risk of injury. If there is some saving grace, it looks like they might be getting A.J. Minter back from the injured list soon — Minter pitched on back-to-back days Tuesday and Wednesday, and will get another appearance with Triple-A Syracuse before the Mets decide whether they can activate him.
That said, they’ll need to be careful with him, too.
And so, after every game, Mendoza goes back to his metaphorical chess board. He looks at his fallen pieces, and the options at his disposal, and hopes he’ll have enough left to finish the game.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
