Mets' David Stearns says club will remain fluid with their starting pitching decisions down the stretch
The Mets' Kodai Senga leaves a game against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Citi Field on Aug. 31. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The time for orthodox decision making is over.
The Mets showed as much when they shipped Kodai Senga to Triple-A earlier this month, and again Tuesday evening, when they decided to stack Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea against the Padres. And it’ll happen again Thursday, when Jonah Tong will get another start after getting shelled by a Rangers team that had his number from the outset Friday.
It's unlikely to stop there, president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a pregame news conference Tuesday – noting that the Mets intend to stay fluid with their pitching, both in terms of roles and personnel.
“I wouldn't take any of that off the table right now,” Stearns said, when asked if his starters would be used in relief. “I think with 12 games left in our season, we’re going to do what we need to do to win as many games as possible, and if that means asking pitchers to take on slightly different roles for various turns through our rotation, that's what we're going to do.”
It worked well Tuesday, with Holmes allowing two runs in four innings and Manaea yielding one over the final five of an 8-3 win.
But there are plenty of factors at play, including Senga, who had a sharp outing with Triple-A Syracuse over the weekend, but has yet to fully convince the front office that he can help this team. He’ll pitch in at least one more game there before the Mets make a call, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
His spot on any potential playoff roster, however, remains uncertain.
“Results always matter,” Stearns said. “Results are a part of it, and it's, what is the stuff like? Has the stuff ticked up to the point where we feel comfortable that it's going to consistently get major-league hitters out?”
As for Tong, traditional wisdom would dictate that a 22-year-old who's made just two Triple-A starts before desperation necessitated a call-up would be sent down for further development after Friday's debacle. Tong, teary eyed after that game, looked visibly rattled on the mound, and allowed six runs and four hits with three walks and a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning. The Rangers clearly had a gameplan, taking 18 of the first 19 pitches they saw.
“We know the stuff is there and [we believe in] his ability to bounce back from what we’ve seen in the minor leagues and what we’ve seen here,” Mendoza said. “We feel good with him going on Thursday.”
Stearns added that “a pitch here or there very much could have changed that inning…
“One of the reasons we were comfortable making the decisions we did to promote [Tong, Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat] was that we felt like they can handle adversity and they can bounce back,” Stearns said. “Clearly, what Jonah went through wasn't pleasant for him to experience…[but] we think he's going to give us a good chance to win.”
Notes & quotes: Tylor Megill (elbow sprain) will consult yet another doctor this week as the Mets look to discover the source of the arm tightness that shut down his rehab assignment…Luis Torrens (forearm contusion) started with Syracuse Tuesday…Tyrone Taylor (hamstring) will return from paternity leave Wednesday and will begin playing in rehab games soon, Mendoza said.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
