Flushing, NY- Carlos Carrasco had hamstring and elbow issues last year. The Mets hardly got to know their newest addition to their pitching rotation after having a dominant run with the Cleveland Indians. A few weeks after the Mets closed their dismal season he had surgery to remove a bone fragment from his elbow.
Spring training was brief due to the extended lockout, Carrasco, though, in that short span of time pitched well and manager Buck Showalter penciled his righthander in the rotation.
Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, Carrasco had his best pitching outing since that trade from Cleveland that also delivered Francisco Lindor. The Mets bats, though, after scoring 10-runs in their home opener Friday, could not do much against Diamondbacks pitching .
Except for a two-run eighth inning that was all the Mets could do as the Diamondbacks 3-2 win evened the series at a game apiece.
So the story here was Carlos Carrasco and five scoreless innings. He struck out four of the first seven in the lineup. Carrasco was sharp and leaves little doubt about his role on the starting rotation that have combined for a 1.17 ERA to start the season,
Though It wasn’t about Seth Lugo. His struggles continued and has surrendered multiple runs in two appearances out of the bullpen, not customary after giving up two or more runs 12 times in 120 relief outings in a span of two years.
Showalter said Lugo is a valuable piece of the Mets bullpen and his innings will be meaningful. Carrasco, on the other hand, has been consistent in his first two starts.
“Everything that I did in my last start carried over into today,” he said. “Like I said before, my arm is getting better with every start. So everything feels good today.”
He also attributes the success to bullpen sessions. This was his first scoreless start as a Met. The eight total strikeouts were also his best as a Met and the Carrasco effectiveness showed when holding Arizona hitters to four at bats with runners in scoring position.
The difference is also evident with the slider and changeup and getting outs with two strikes.
“You can tell that he feels fine physically,” Showalter said. “He is attacking hitters and pitching like Carlos can. That development continues to bode well for us. He was solid.”
And if it weren’t for Mets pitching striking out a season high 16, perhaps the Diamondbacks would have had more opportunities to score runs. Carrasco, when healthy, can also work off a good fastball and that averaged 95.
So without Jacob deGrom for the next month or more, and with Cararsco’s arm showing signs of life again, his spot in the rotation has significant meaning. Max Scherzer, new addition Chris Bassitt, and Tylor Megill have also done their part in the early going.
Showalter has attributed the rotation success to the front office and their emphasis on depth which also carries to the Mets bench players. Though, Saturday, the Mets hitting could not capitalize on going deep into counts and appeared lethargic as compared to the day before.
Starling Marte had a consecutive game home run in the eighth inning that accounted for the Mets’ runs.
But it has to be emphasized here as to the significance of Carlos Cararsco in the starting rotation, and if consistent the Mets are looking good in the backend and have a reliable arm.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer with Latinosports.com Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
Julio Pabón
April 17, 2022 at 3:27 pm
Good article, made those not at the game feel like if they were present.