PHILADELPHIA — After a rainout in Syracuse, Blade Tidwell was finished for the day.
He was about to begin playing some “Fortnite” on Thursday night when his plans changed.
The pitching-desperate Mets burned Justin Hagenman’s arm in relief in their finale in Atlanta.
So at about 10 p.m., Tidwell was told he was starting Friday.
To make roster space for Tidwell, the Mets optioned Hagenman
“Just hopped in the car,” Tidwell said, he and his girlfriend making the 4 ½-hour trip south and preparing in a hurry for one of the better offenses in baseball.
Tidwell was better, if not excellent, in an emergency spot start during a 10-2, series-opening loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
After a May 4 debut in St. Louis went wayward — six runs in 3 ²/₃ innings — the 24-year-old prospect held his own over three scoreless innings.
He ran into trouble in a fourth inning he would not escape, perhaps a victim of circumstance.
For the first time all season, he was starting consecutive games on four days’ rest. He typically gets at least five days’ rest with Syracuse.
In his outing Sunday, he had thrown just 66 pitches. For that reason, manager Carlos Mendoza did not want to give him much of a leash.
In the fourth inning, singles by Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto and a walk to Bryson Stott loaded the bases.
Tidwell did well to induce a ground ball from Otto Kemp, but the Brett Baty-Jeff McNeil-Pete Alonso turn was a half-step slow, allowing the game’s first run to score.
The righty was pulled at 74 pitches, having allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four, and Jose Castillo entered and allowed one more run to score.
“I thought the fastball had life. I thought the cutter, shorter slider, to go with the sweeper, was a lot better, as well,” Mendoza said.
Tidwell added: “It went better than the last, but there’s still work to be done.”
