WILLIE Randolph was barely over Denver on his long flight to the rest of his life when Jerry Manuel announced that for Mets relievers, their long guessing game was over.
No more being used at the manager’s whim. No more sixth inning one night, eighth inning the next. Hopefully, no more getting booed out of Shea for these creatures of habit, whom had fallen into the increasingly uncomfortable habit of too-often getting creamed.
Now the Mets, 2-1 winners of their seventh consecutive game last night, are on a roll, so it’s gotta be because of the defined roles. As the zeroes pile up in the seventh and eighth innings, isn’t it time to pile on Willie?
“I think roles kind of take care of themselves in how we pitch,” Aaron Heilman said. “I didn’t have a hard role because I wasn’t throwing the ball the way I felt I should.
“Once you start pitching the way you are capable of, those things take care of themselves.”
The Mets bullpen took care of the Rockies last night, just like it took care of the Giants. Four relievers brought a scoreless inning streak of relief to 131/3 innings. So whether the roles have made for a better bullpen or a better bullpen has made for better roles, all these fans remember is that so many eggs were being laid late in games a guy became chicken to watch.
Now that it has turned, who really cares why, as long as these guys are pitching out of bases-loaded jams in consecutive innings?
“[Duaner] Sanchez has been our eighth-inning guy,” Manuel said. “[Billy] Wagner is obviously the closer.
“Aaron Heilman has evolved into a guy who we’re very comfortable with at the back end, seventh or eighth, if Sanchez is unavailable. Joe Smith has crossed over and showed he can get lefties out. The one situation that’s interchangeable is Pedro Feliciano and [Scott] Schoeneweis.”
For three months, mostly the blame was interchangeable. But that was then. This is now. Heilman, inheriting a two-on, none-out, 1-1 seventh-inning tie from Oliver Perez, followed the sacrifice of the runners to second and third by walking pinch hitter Seth Smith, then coming back to get Willy Taveras looking on a borderline-low fastball and Clint Barmes swinging with the reliever’s salvation, his slider.
“I was throwing a cutter and that was starting to come along well and it kind of evolved into the slider,” Heilman said. “It’s made a huge difference, added another full dimension to what the hitters have to look for.”
In the eighth, Sanchez walked Garrett Atkins and gave up a single to Chris Iannetta. Pedro Feliciano walked Brad Hawpe, then got Jayson Nix to ground out. In the bottom of the inning, Damion Easley homered before Wagner pitched a one-two-three ninth and the fans happily got back to their old role of cheering for their team.
“We have a very versatile bullpen down there,” Heilman said. Indeed, despite three months of homers and hysteria, it has held opposing batters to a .244 average, third best in the National League behind the Phillies and Dodgers.
Heilman has yielded four runs in his past 21 appearances. Sanchez has surrendered just one over his past 14 innings. Schoeneweis has held lefties to an average of .167. Joe Smith has permitted just one run in his last 122/3 innings.
The starters are pitching longer and the relievers are pitching better. Maybe that’s because they know when they are going to be used. And maybe Heilman has mastered another pitch that helps put everything in order for all of them.
