New York Mets reliever Edwin Diaz used to be the most terrifying closer in baseball. That's just not the case anymore, as his struggles on the mound continue in the 2024 MLB regular season. On Saturday. Diaz added to his woes this season with another blown save during a brutal 7-2 meltdown of a loss at the hands of the visiting San Francisco Giants.
With the Mets holding a precarious one-run lead at the top of the ninth inning, Diaz entered the game looking to close things out. However, Diaz allowed a single to Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores, who was then replaced by pinch-runner Ryan McKenna. Moments later, McKenna stole second base before LaMonte Wade Jr. pinched hit for Heliot Ramos. Wade then hit a single that drove McKenna to home plate for the game-tying run that also ultimately forced the game to go into extra innings.
In the 10th inning, the Mets' bullpen imploded further, as it allowed the Giants to score a total of five runs.
“He’s going through it right now,” Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said after the game about Diaz, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
“We’ve got to continue to stay with him, work with him and get him through it, because he’s a big part of our bullpen,” Mendoza added.
Despite Diaz's latest failure to find a cure for his malaise on the mound, his teammate, Francisco Lindor, was not one to put the blame on the struggling closer.
“It’s not just him. This is not falling on him,” Lindor said following the loss (h/t John Healy of SNY).
“It’s on every one of us. We gotta play the game better. It’s tough on the closer to come in and seems like it's a lose-lose for them. If they finish the game, ‘they better.’ If they don’t, it’s ‘how could they?’ Not just on him.”
Edwin Diaz has not been himself in 2024
The dominant form that Diaz flashed in 2022 has yet to return. He hasn't even been remotely as good as his version that year who posted a 1.31 ERA and a staggering 297 ERA+ to go with 118 strikeouts and 32 saves across 61 appearances.
This time around, Diaz has posted a dizzyingly high 5.40 ERA through his first 20 innings in the 2024 campaign. His ninth-inning troubles against the Giants stretched his brutal streak of blown save opportunities to three.
Diaz missed the entire 2023 MLB season due to an injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic. For what it's worth, there is a notable drop in the speed of his four-seamer from 2022 to 2024. In 2022, Edwin's four-seamer averaged 99.1 MPH but that is down to 96.9 MPH in 2024. Even though his hard hit rate (34.1%) is lower this season — through his first 19.0 innings) compared with his 38.5 percent hard-hit rate in 2022, he has been much more susceptible to long balls this season. He has allowed five home runs to date this season.
Mets are on a free-fall
As mentioned by Lindor mentioned, the Mets' latest debacle can't just be pinned on Diaz. New York has been playing poorly over the last several games. In fact, they have lost all of their last five games and won just three of their last 15 outings. At 21-30, they are 15.5 James out of first place in the National League East division.
The immediate goal for now for the Mets is to prevent a sweep at the hands of the Giants with the series finale scheduled to be played this Sunday. New York needs a win there to give itself some momentum ahead of a tough home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Follow Us
Subscribe