TAMPA — There are any number of lessons Steven Matz is likely to learn from the rest of the Mets rotation this season and thanks to a couple of rough recent outings, he can add another to the list.
After coughing up five runs in the second inning of Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Matz recovered and managed to toss two scoreless frames before departing for the night.
“I think it’s huge,’’ Matz said of the way he finished his evening. “I see Matt [Harvey] and Jacob [deGrom] out there and they don’t let it affect them. I try to take it from them.”
Though manager Terry Collins was pleased with the abrupt turnaround in Matz’s game, he admitted it was time for Matz — and everyone else — to start sharpening up.
“I don’t worry about stats,’’ Collins said. “The next time out, he’s got to start to get tuned up. At the end of this road trip, it’s time to get our focus back. We’re less than seven days from opening up when we get home, so we’ve got to be ready.”
When they do start the season in Kansas City on April 3, the Mets will already be thinking about how to ensure their young rotation will be able to survive the season.
The Mets spent much of last season trying to figure out how to protect their young arms, yet also get the most out of them and keep them effective.
It was a balancing act they had success with, as those arms pitched them to the World Series, so they’re going to try to figure out how to do it again.
“There [are] concerns about all those guys that overloaded their innings last year,” Collins said. “All those guys that pitched all those innings [last season], we have made a statement we are gonna continue to try to protect those guys.”
So an extra starter could be used and during the team’s unorthodox opening week of the season, with three off days in less than a week.
Noah Syndergaard, for instance, could piggy-back Matz in Game 2 against the Royals, especially with deGrom’s uncertain status as he and his wife await the birth of their child.
But Collins stressed again he’s thinking more about 162 games than the first handful.
“We could have started anybody,” Collins said of the first week. “We like our rotation. They’re all going to pitch. One start, the first start of the season can be a story, it’s not. They’ve got to pitch 32 times. That’s all I’m worried about. And when that is, I really don’t care right now.”
Until Zack Wheeler returns from his Tommy John rehab, the Mets figure to have five regular starters barring injury, but Collins intends to monitor his young arms even before Wheeler’s anticipated entry.
“I want those guys to be as strong as I can [have them] at the end of the summer,’’ Collins said. “I thought that worked last summer.”
None of the members of the rotation is less experienced than Matz, who pitched just six major-league games last season before entering the playoffs, where he pitched three more.
Now, he’s heading into his first full regular season in the majors and is still adjusting.
“You try to work on stuff, but at the same time, you’re facing the New York Yankees,” Matz said. “I’m pretty happy with how I bounced back there and got some results over the last few batters.’’
