Mets have serious issues beyond Edwin Diaz’s closer status
NY Post
MIAMI — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza termed struggling star Edwin Diaz’s status as closer “fluid” for now. Which is a nice way of saying his chances of pitching the ninth inning in the near term are under water.
Day 1 of the Mets’ new “mix-and-match” plan to close out games was a success, thanks to 2024 bullpen revelation Reed Garrett saving a 7-3 victory over the Marlins and helping avert disaster — a potential sweep to the fire-selling Marlins.
Meantime, Diaz, who’s nobody’s water boy, showed a vastly improved state of mind on the day after the blowup that brought tears and temporarily cost him the marquee bullpen job.
“I feel good, I feel great,” Diaz told The Post after a bullpen session that gave him hope his comeback may come quicker than imagined.
“I talked to them, and we’re on the same page. I’ll just go to work and get my confidence back and be back in my closing job.”
Diaz sounded hopeful it could be a matter of days, but realistically, he’s going to have to show he can get folks out in lower-leverage situations a time or two or more before he reclaims his spot. Until then, the job will probably fall on Garrett — the journeyman turned savior who’s the best story of the Mets season — veteran Adam Ottavino, who was warming up in case in the ninth inning, and maybe one or two others.
Almost a year to the day after a goaltender interference call against Kyle Palmieri lost the Islanders a game against the Blue Jackets that started their season’s death spiral, they were on the wrong end of another controversial call against those same Blue Jackets that might have had the same effect.
On the Queens side of town, the reno began in earnest almost as soon as Francisco Lindor grounded into the 4-6-3 double play. That ended a 4-0 loss before a rare sizable crowd at Miami’s loanDepot Park last Sept. 27, all of them there to witness the final death rattles of an epic baseball calamity.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being paid handsomely for his breakout season.
Next comes the harder part. Mostly because it can’t get any easier.
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
PORT ST. LUCIE — From the moment he was told he needed surgery on his left hamate bone, Francisco Lindor fixated on the recovery time. Trainers provided the Mets shortstop a six-week pathway to return to play, and Lindor was determined to hit every marker.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
Don’t close the curtain on “Mean” Joe Greene.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.