Mets seeing ‘locked-in’ Edwin Diaz again in rebound from rough road trip
NY Post
Edwin Diaz’s first four pitches in the ninth were fastballs that missed the strike zone.
But just when it seemed the Mets closer might be reverting back to the trouble he found in back-to-back games on the recent road trip, Diaz came back and got the final three outs of Wednesday’s 8-3 win over the Red Sox.
And he finished it with three straight fastballs that were clocked over 100 mph.
“I have that in my back pocket,’’ Diaz said of the added velocity on his strikeout of Romy Gonzalez that finished the game — and a seventh-straight Mets win.
With the Mets still chasing the Braves for the final NL wild-card spot, they will almost certainly continue to lean heavily on Diaz, who has mostly pitched well since mid-June before blowing back-to-back save opportunities, first in San Diego on Aug. 25 then Arizona three days later.
Since then, Diaz has allowed one baserunner in four innings — the leadoff walk to Triston Casas on Wednesday — and whiffed nine batters, including two more Wednesday.
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.