The return of Edwin Diaz doesn’t just give the Mets back their anchor in the back end of the bullpen.
It allows them to use their other high-leverage relievers in different ways.
Friday night was a good example.
Manager Carlos Mendoza went to Adam Ottavino in the sixth inning, and he retired all four Padres he faced in the Mets’ 2-1 victory at Citi Field.
That included Ottavino retiring Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. It was his best performance in a while, having allowed runs in four of his previous six appearances.
“Very good outing for Ottavino, going two ups and getting four outs,” Mendoza said. “I liked the [matchup] with the righties there, the situation. … They know the situation before the game, and he was ready to go. I thought that particular time was the right time for him.”
Ottavino was part of a stellar night for the bullpen, which delivered four scoreless innings.
Jake Diekman, Sean Reid-Foley and Diaz were also used.
All told, the bullpen allowed one hit, walked one and struck out five.
“They are all feeling it. When we got Edwin Diaz ready to go in the ninth inning, it’s a different game,” Mendoza said. “You can start mixing and matching a lot earlier if needed. Today was one of those nights.”
Mendoza received a strong report on Brett Baty’s first game at second base for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.
“Looked fine. I talked to Dicky Scott, our Triple-A manager, this morning. Positive results or report,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to catch the baseball. I said it yesterday, it’s going to come down to him knowing where to be and turning double plays. One game, it’s good to get him going [at that position].”
Baty was back at his regular position, third base, Friday night for Syracuse.
Starling Marte picked up the 350th career stolen base of his career in the second inning. He is the only active player with 350 or more stolen bases and 150 or more home runs.
Diaz recorded his 102nd career save as a Met in the win, moving him into fifth place all time in franchise history and past Billy Wagner.
