Bullpen pitchers have suffered alarming injuries at Citi Field, and it happened again Wednesday. The Mets lost Reid Garrett to an elbow injury on the same day that Phil Mutton arrived after being acquired from the Rays.
Garrett was placed on the 15-day disabled list awaiting the results of an MRI after a tough game on Tuesday with discomfort in his forearm and elbow, but the Mets managed to get some momentum from their relief pitchers in a 6-2 win over Washington on Wednesday.
Three relief pitchers combined to pitch 2 ²/₃ scoreless innings, with two outs by struggling Jake Diekman, two more by Danny Young, who had just been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, and the final four by Jose Butto, who earned his first save.
“I’ve said it all along, these guys will get it done,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of his beleaguered relief corps. “They’ve had some tough times here, but I’m pretty confident that at some point they’ll get the job done. Tonight was a perfect example of that. We asked a couple of guys to go in different situations, in positions they weren’t used to, and they got the job done.”
Bhutto, who showed promise as a part of the starting rotation early this season, pitched well in three innings as a relief pitcher.
Including Wednesday’s save, he pitched five scoreless innings and impressed Mendoza with his ability to pitch more than an inning and bounce back quickly, so much so that the manager said the team will likely keep him on the team at least through the All-Star break.
Asked about his role, Bhutto said: “I just want to be here to help the team.”
If the Mets want to remain in wild-card contention, they’ll need to continue to get creative and add more to their relief corps.
Garrett was placed on injured reserve along with Brooks Raley, Drew Smith (both out for the season) and Sean Reid-Foley.
The Mets have found themselves in close games where they could not afford to make any mistakes, and with closer Edwin Diaz recently suspended, they have had to use some relief pitchers in key situations.
Mendoza acknowledged that this may have played a role in the number of injuries the relief pitchers experienced.
“They’re going to ask guys to throw more stressful pitches, and that may be what happened with Reid Garrett,” Mendoza said. “That’s what we’re talking about. … Unfortunately, we’re [injury] “The situation is tough and we will continue to review our processes to ensure we do not put our players at risk.”
Maton’s addition should help a relief corps that had an MLB-worst 10.13 ERA as of Wednesday and had allowed just nine home runs in 24 innings since July 1.
The 31-year-old has excelled in the postseason, notably during long playoff stints with the Astros in 2021 and ’23.
Mutton’s thinking hasn’t changed, he said.
“To me, it’s all the same,” Mutton said. “It’s baseball. Every inning is crucial.”
He continues to pitch well this season.
After a string of poor performances in early June, Maton said the Rays coaching staff noticed some mechanical issues that they have since corrected.
Maton has allowed just seven runners and one run in 12 innings over his last 11 starts.
Mendoza said he’s prepared to use Maton in just about any situation, given his history of pitching in big situations.
“He catches the ball,” Mendoza said, “and will be ready any time from the sixth through ninth innings.”
Additionally, the team demoted right-hander Eric Ause to Triple-A to make room for left-hander Young.
