JUPITER, Fla. — Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning took shots to secure a spot in the Mets' first day rotation, as they began Monday, the day after Tyler Megill pitched five inconsistent innings.
Shawn Mania leaves most of April due to an oblique injury and Frankie Montas is sidelined with a tense rat, so the Mets will need to fill in a spinning that is now made up of Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and David Peterson.
Canning had his best show of recent years, batting nine times and giving up one run against the Rays in a 2-0 split squadron at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, while Blackburn gave up pair runs in four innings, giving up six runs and earning six times in a 6-5 victory at Roger Dean Stadium.
Carlos Mendoza said Monday that he was “considering” putting one potential starter in the bullpen amid three contests that will compete for the final two spots in the rotation.
The manager refused to say who was at ease and meant pitching.
“It's difficult now [to say]Mendoza said. “All three of us can do that. We haven't decided whether we're going that route or not. There are still seven. [spring training games until Opening Day]. There is still a lot of potential to happen. ”
If nothing changes, Mendoza said he'll meet with baseball business president David Stearns and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner to decide which starter will become the strange guy.
Blackburn had four major league relief (one since 2019), Megill has made six appearances from Penn (in 2022) and Canning has made five.
Megill is only one of three remaining minor league options.
Following Monday's outing, Blackburn said that whatever role he gets is fine.
The right-hander said the team spoke to him about a potential role in the bullpen in the early spring.
“No matter what happens, it happens,” Blackburn said. “These people are decision makers, and I'm always ready to pitch whenever I want.
Canning made the Angels' 31 starts last season with a 5.19 ERA, but there is optimism that will pay off his work with the Mets pitching staff. The early signs are promising.
“I feel every day, I'm getting better,” said Canning, who ran his last two starts and has 14 batters in 8¹/₃ innings. “It's fun to incorporate that confidence into the game.”
But as Canning added, “I feel good, but it doesn't make any sense right now.”
According to Mendoza, one aspect that teams consider is the “bounce ability” of each pitcher.
In the meantime, Mendoza said each will continue to work as starters.
“They're all built on pitch counts. [innings]Mendoza said. “That's the priority.”
Especially as the Mets could move into a six-person rotation by mid-next month.
– Additional report by Mike Puma from Port St. Lucie
