By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
The shaky performance last night by the Mets bullpen probably reminded fans how bad the team’s relievers were last season. Except that last year’s bullpen actually was pretty good … well at least in April, as hard as that is to remember or believe. It is easy to lose track of that fact as Mets relievers blew countless games throughout the summer into September. But before we anoint Francisco Rodriguez and Co. the saviors of Flushing, why don’t we give them a few months.
This is not to pour cold water on the Mets’ 2-0 start, but to prevent fans from getting their hopes too high. Because as we learned last year, a good April doesn’t necessarily mean a good May will follow … or June or July or August … or especially September.
No one was better in the Mets bullpen in April than Billy Wagner. The closer did not allow an earned run until May 23 last year. Wagner did not allow a hit until his 10th appearance of the season, after he had pitched nine innings of near-perfect baseball (two walks, or as many as K-Rod had last night). No one is saying Rodriguez will implode during the season, but there’s no guarantee he won’t.
Remember when the Mets signed Wagner a couple of years back, he was the one who was supposed to make us forget about Armando Benitez. Now we need K-Rod to help us forget about Wagner.
And the guys getting the ball to Wagner weren’t that bad in April, either, with the exception of Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa. Duaner Sanchez, coming off major shoulder surgery, did his best J.J. Putz impersonation. Sanchez had four holds and did not allow a run until his eighth appearance of the season. Putz allowed his first run in his second appearance last night.
Before boos greeted the very sight of Scott Schoeneweis emerging from the bullpen, he was quite respectable in the season’s first month. He had a 2.08 ERA and four holds. Schoeneweis did blow a save and get a loss against the Phillies on April 8, but that would seem like small potatoes to the stinkers he put up after April — including giving up the decisive home run to Wes Helms in the Mets’ season-ending loss to the Marlins. A win by the Mets would have forced a one-game playoff with the Brewers for the wild-card spot … but you already knew that.
Sean Green is this season’s version of Schoeneweis, though right-handed. But Green is a pitcher whom Jerry Manuel views as a crossover, a guy who can face both righties and lefties. So far, so good for Green, who has holds in both Mets wins this season.
(As an aside, Green had a 2.72 ERA before the All-Star break with the Mariners last season. After, it was 8.65).
Pedro Feliciano, the only member of the Mets bullpen who made the Opening Day roster two years in a row, was off to a much better start last year. Feliciano gave up two runs in 2/3 an inning in last night’s 9-7 win over the Reds. Last April, Feliciano gave up one run the entire month. Let’s just hope that April isn’t by far Feliciano’s best month, like it was last year.
Joe Smith, now with the Indians if you were curious, had a nice start last season: five holds and a 3.09 ERA last April. No losses, no blown saves for the side-armer.
Heilman (5.87 ERA, blown save) and Sosa (7.02 ERA, one loss) were not very good. But the Mets bullpen was probably a lot better in April than you thought. Let’s just hope I don’t have to write a story like this next season.
