MIAMI — Edwin Diaz is open to a change to assist ignite the slumping New York Mets — even when which means shedding his function as nearer.
Amid a horrible begin to the 2024 season by which he has blown two consecutive save probabilities and three of his previous 4, the star reliever with a $102 million contract mentioned he can be keen to alter his function if the group thinks that is greatest.
“I am open to all the pieces,” Diaz mentioned Saturday after squandering a four-run lead within the ninth inning towards one of many league’s worst-hitting groups within the Miami Marlins.
Diaz has a ten.80 ERA over his previous eight appearances after serving up 4 homers in 8⅓ innings.
“I wish to assist my group to win,” he mentioned. “That is my major factor. In the event that they wish to discuss to me about that and I be ok with it, I agree on it. I simply wish to win video games in any place they put me.”
The struggling Mets (20-25) led the Marlins 9-5 when Díaz entered within the ninth.
He allowed an RBI single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. that drove in Vidal Brujan, who had led off with a double. Bryan De La Cruz reached on an infield single with one out, and Josh Bell hammered Diaz’s first-pitch slider 428 ft to straightaway middle discipline for a three-run shot that tied the rating.
That was it for Diaz, who wasn’t charged with a blown save as a result of he got here in with a four-run lead. However in his previous three outings he has given up seven earned runs, seven hits, three walks and two homers over 2⅓ innings.
New York misplaced 10-9 when Otto Lopez singled dwelling the successful run off Jorge Lopez within the tenth.
Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned he is involved about Diaz’s confidence. The 30-year-old Diaz, a two-time All-Star, indicated his struggles this season are largely psychological.
“I will not lie, my confidence I really feel is down proper now,” he mentioned. “I am making pitches. I am throwing strikes. I am making an attempt to do my greatest to assist the group to win. Proper now I am not in that capability.
“Bodily, I really feel one hundred pc proper now. My physique isn’t a problem. I believe proper now I’ve obtained to consider what I am doing, belief myself just a little bit extra after I’m on the mound. I believe I am pondering an excessive amount of.”
Mendoza indicated the group would contemplate transferring Diaz out of the nearer function to assist him rebuild his confidence.
“It is a kind of issues I’ve to speak to the teaching employees and to Edwin,” Mendoza mentioned, “whether or not we wish to discover him some softer spots to get him going. He is nonetheless our nearer and he’ll get by way of it.”
Saturday was Diaz’s first outing at Miami’s dwelling ballpark since he tore the patellar tendon in his proper knee whereas celebrating a win for Puerto Rico within the World Baseball Basic there in March 2023.
The damage required surgical procedure and price him your entire 2023 season. He was baseball’s most dominant nearer in 2022, putting out 118 batters in 62 innings whereas saving 32 video games and compiling a 1.31 ERA.
The Related Press contributed to this story.
