NEW YORK — Within the New York Mets’ nine-game winning streak, another number deserves attention: 0.65.
That’s the Mets’ bullpen’s ERA since Aug. 29 or over the last nine games.
Yes, the Mets’ bullpen.
Once a major weakness, the unit has turned into a strength.
After starter Jose Quintana pitched effectively over 6 2/3 innings Saturday, three relievers (Adam Ottavino, Danny Young and Edwin Díaz) covered the final seven outs to preserve a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Consistently displaying a brand of competent baseball, the Mets (78-64) have a one-game lead in the wild-card standings.
So let’s update some more numbers:
Over the Mets’ winning streak, only one reliever has allowed any runs: José Buttó (two runs in four innings), who profiles as one of the club’s best late-game options.
Since Aug. 29, the Mets’ relievers have allowed just eight hits, the fewest by any team’s bullpen during the stretch (their .091 batting average against heading into Saturday was also the lowest).
And in the 27 1/3 relief innings during the streak, they’ve recorded 35 strikeouts and just eight walks.
Edwin Díaz, Destroying the Side. 🎺 pic.twitter.com/LHc8MzGyqM
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 7, 2024
To improve the bullpen, the Mets first had to transform the way it looks. Only Díaz, the closer, and Ottavino, once a top setup option who now pitches in lower-leverage spots remain from the Opening Day roster. The rest of the group features good surprises who began the year with Triple-A Syracuse (Buttó, Reed Garrett, Danny Young and Dedniel Núñez, who is on the injured list), trade acquisitions (Phil Maton, Huascar Brazoban, Ryne Stanek) and a waiver-wire pickup (Alex Young). Not exactly a batch of household names. No matter.
Executives from other teams liked the Mets’ group of unheralded relievers. A few applauded president of baseball operations David Stearns for picking up Maton and Stanek as salary dumps. Other clubs viewed Danny Young as a priority non-roster invite, but it was the Mets who committed to the best deal and capitalized on extra space on the 40-man roster — space Stearns created in the winter by making a series of roster cuts.
The Mets have taken the approach of valuing “stuff” in their bullpen. This isn’t too different from their initial thought with the early incarnations of their group, which often failed to harness command — it’s just that it’s working now. Many executives — not just Stearns — are fans of such an approach. It doesn’t always work. As one rival executive put it, “It’s easier to be confident to throw strikes even without true command because your stuff plays in non-optimal locations.” In other words, access the zone with good stuff, and get away with a less-than-desirable location.
Maton, who has filled a need for a quality setup option ahead of Díaz, has seen this work before. The Mets acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays, but he spent the previous three seasons as an important member of the Houston Astros’ quality bullpen. In the Mets’ group, Maton sees some characteristics that can continue to play in September, and, perhaps, beyond.
“One of the things that definitely stands out is our variety,” Maton said. “Everyone is a different mix. We have a lot of different ways to approach lineups, approach hitters. That helps.”
And that’s what Stearns wanted all along from his bullpen: diversity.
Consider what Stearns said way back in December, during the winter meetings: “I think there’s a desire to have a diversity of looks and stuff out of reliever. Velocity is a part of that. Velocity is not the entire package there. So, yeah, I’d like to have a couple of guys who can really bring it out of the pen. I’d also like to have some different looks. And there are plenty of guys throwing the high 80s that are doing a good job in the bullpens these days.”
One of Stearns’ calling cards in Milwaukee was his ability to build successful bullpens using a bunch of unknown commodities. In New York, he has blended both a knack for scooping up waiver talent while also using more money on a bounce-back candidate like Maton, who got off to a poor start with the Rays.
Maton, who averages 88 mph with his cutter, is one of those low-velocity pitchers Stearns described. The Mets now have others. They have pitchers who rely on two-seamers. Others use high-velocity four-seamers. There are different angles. There’s deception. It all adds up to a series of unique looks.
“We have a variety of different fastballs,” Maton said. “It allows us to work our way through lineups differently as opposed to just thinking righty and lefty, I think we can go a little deeper where it’s four-seam and two-seam situations.”
The improvement from the Mets’ bullpen stretches beyond the winning streak. In the second half, they entered Saturday with a 3.16 ERA, eighth-best in the majors, and a 28.5 percent strikeout rate, which ranked third. However, a remaining concern: In the second half, they have the second-highest walk rate (11.7 percent). Still, it’s progress. Before the All-Star break, the Mets’ bullpen made a habit of blowing games and had a 4.20 ERA (20th in the majors).
The biggest key to the Mets’ bullpen is Díaz, who has pitched well (six scoreless innings, 13 strikeouts) since blowing consecutive games in San Diego and Arizona, respectively. Mendoza used Díaz with a four-run lead on Saturday, which further demonstrates just how vital every game continues to be for New York. The Mets need to get to Díaz, of course, and that’s where the encouraging performance from someone like Garrett (six straight scoreless innings) and Danny Young (who lowered his ERA to 2.71 on Saturday) help deepen the options beyond Maton and Buttó.
The Mets’ starting pitchers deserve credit for the bullpen’s turnaround, too. Over the Mets’ winning streak, a starting pitcher has completed at least six innings in six of the nine games. When the starter comes out, Carlos Mendoza said he feels good with whoever takes the ball next.
Will it last? It’s impossible to say — and at least some regression seems more likely; there are better lineups than the Chicago White Sox, scuffling Boston Red Sox and Reds — but the Mets’ coaching staff likes the confidence that their bullpen is displaying and the way they’ve thrown more strikes at the precise right time to be doing so.
“Just trusting their stuff, pitching to their strength, staying on the attack and not panicking,” Mendoza said. “They know their roles. And they know the mindset is we’re going to put you in situations where we feel you have a really good chance to have success — just trust it.
“They’ve been doing that, and they’ve been doing a hell of a job.”
(Photo of Edwin Díaz: Adam Hunger / Associated Press)
