The New York Mets continued their mastery of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-5 walk-off win Tuesday night.
Yet, aside from gaining a game on the first-place Phillies, the Mets were also concerned with ensuring reliever Ryan Helsley was right ahead of their now-likely postseason berth after the game.
Helsley’s struggles continued Tuesday when he blew his fourth save in a Mets uniform by allowing a two-run home run to Harrison Bader in the eighth inning.
Yet, with the win, which was New York’s seventh in its past 10 games, it leads the Cincinnati Reds by 3.5 games for the final National League wild-card spot. Baseball Reference gives the Mets a 75.1 percent chance of making the playoffs, and they all of a sudden trail the Phillies by just five games for the NL East lead.
What Did The Mets Say About Ryan Helsley’s Struggles?
Helsley had locked down 21 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched to a respectable 3.00 ERA in 36 innings. But his value has cratered since joining the Mets, since he is 0-3 and has a minus-1.2 bWAR, a 2.31 WHIP and an astronomically high 10.38 ERA.
Mendoza seemed almost at a loss when asked about Helsley’s struggles.
“We just got to get [Helsley] right,” Mendoza said. “Too good of stuff for them to be taking really good swings on fastballs, really good takes on the sliders. So we got to look back and see what we’re missing here because for teams to have comfortable at-bats like that, something’s going on here that we have to figure out.”
Helsley is a two-time All-Star who led the majors in saves just last season (49) while finishing ninth in the Cy Young Award voting.
Diaz, who like Helsley came to New York via trade, knows what the embattled reliever is going through. Diaz’s tenure started horribly with the Mets when he had a 5.59 ERA and seven blown saves — after locking down 57 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2018.
“I’ve been through that,” Diaz said. “My advice to him was just stay with your head up. … Just stay with your head up, and we’ll keep going.”
Yet, Diaz has become a fixture out of the Mets pen by recording 140 saves and 24 wins in his six seasons. He voiced his support for Helsley and expressed confidence his fortune will change soon.
“We trust him,” Diaz said. “We know what [type of] pitcher he is. He’s one of the best closers in the game. He’s going through some bad moments right now, but we trust in him and we support him.”
What Did Edwin Diaz Say About His Workload?
Helsley’s struggles are Diaz’s gain, since the closer came out of relief in a tie game in the eighth inning and picked up his sixth win of the year.
Diaz struck out four and did not allow a baserunner in 1 2/3 innings, and it was his second multi-inning appearance in his past three outings.
Yet, the increased workload is not a problem to Diaz, who got more than three outs in three of his final four appearances year ago.
“I feel really good,” Diaz said. “When I feel healthy, I told [Mendoza] ‘I’m good for whatever you need me.'”
Mets’ Carlos Mendoza, Edwin Diaz Send Message to Ryan Helsley After Blown Save