4 years agoNew York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz picked up his second save of the season on Friday by striking out the side in the ninth inning in the Mets' 6-4 win over the Yankees. Diaz's performance was in stark contrast to his last outing last Wednesday in which he walked two, including walking in the tying run, and allowed one hit before being removed from the game due to leg cramps after 1/3 inning pitched. With Seth Lugo now firmly entrenched in the Mets' rotation, Diaz is arguably the most effective pitcher in the Mets bullpen. He has struck out an impressive 28 batters in 12 innings pitched and has yielded just a .217 batting average against. Despite these stats, Diaz has still proven terribly inconsistent in the closer role because of a horrible 5.3 walk rate over nine innings and a 1.42 WHIP. With his outing on Friday, manager Luis Rojas may continue to first go to Diaz with save opportunities, though he will likely remain on a short leash. Managers should be aware that it would not be shocking if the Mets opt to go to a full closer committee that includes Diaz, Brad Brach, Dellin Betances, and Jeurys Familia if Diaz has another meltdown.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com