Ryan Healthley’s Challenging Start with the Mets

Ryan Healthley’s initial weeks with the Mets haven’t exactly been a highlight of his career. Since joining the team from the Cardinals at the trade deadline, he’s faced both disappointing performances and a rough patch for the team that has jeopardized postseason hopes.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Healthley remarked just before the Mets took on the Mariners at Citi Field. “It felt like a bad dream because I was right in the middle of it.”

He noted how, seemingly every time the opposing team batted, they seemed to find opportunities to score. Meanwhile, despite the Mets hitting well, they often found themselves hitting right into opponents’ gloves. “Sometimes, that’s just baseball,” he added.

Healthley’s struggles haven’t helped the situation. With an 8.44 ERA in his first seven outings with the Mets and three consecutive blown saves, the team has suffered, losing 14 of their last 16 games, which left them behind the Reds in the race for the NL’s final wildcard spot.

As the Mets fell six games behind the Phillies in the NL East, things only seemed to get tougher for Healthley. In his latest outing, he let two runners on base without recording an out, resulting in the Mets losing their lead.

In total, he’s given up nine hits over 5 1/3 innings since joining the Mets—far from the impression he hoped to make on the organization and its fans.

“It definitely feels strange,” he confessed. “I’ve never pitched like this, at least not in my memory, especially not lately.”

Healthley was part of a bullpen shake-up just before the July 31 trade deadline, alongside Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto. Last season, he had a stellar performance with 49 saves out of 53 opportunities and arrived with a respectable 3.00 ERA.

“Pitching is definitely easier than hitting,” he stated, reflecting on his recent performances. “The last few games, I’ve made mistakes that I got away with before. When I’m pitching well, it feels like the hitters just connect better.” Despite regularly throwing fastballs over 100 mph, he’s struggled lately with his sliders.

A game earlier, Michael Harris II capitalized on a slider, hitting an RBI double that tied the game in the eighth inning. Then, in Friday’s game, Healthley found himself down 0-2 in the count when Eugenio Suarez hit another RBI double off one of his sliders.

“We could’ve executed better, but it was still a good pitch,” he reflected. “I need to improve and make better throws, especially with runners on base.”

Alongside Healthley, Brooks Raleigh also had a rare lackluster performance, further contributing to the Mets’ troubles.

With 39 games remaining in the season, Healthley expressed hope for the bullpen to find its rhythm and help the team secure a postseason spot. “Sure, we’re in a rough patch, but there are plenty of games left. We can only focus on today,” he concluded. “We have a lot of experienced players, and we need to move forward.”