Mets' 'pen proves potent, secures Opening Day 'W'

March 31st, 2023

MIAMI -- Buck Showalter doesn¡¯t sleep much anyway, or at least that¡¯s what he¡¯s fond of saying. When Showalter lay awake in bed before Opening Day, it wasn¡¯t because he knew Mets co-ace Justin Verlander was headed to the injured list. At that point, Showalter hadn¡¯t yet heard the news.

Even if Showalter had been aware of Verlander¡¯s injury, he¡¯s not the type to spend time fretting. Showalter prefers action. When the Mets lost Edwin D¨ªaz to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic, for example, Showalter offered a few laments before moving onto what he could control: the complexion of his bullpen minus the best reliever in baseball.

New York¡¯s 5-3 Opening Day win over the Marlins offered some hints as to how that might look over the course of the season. , and retired nine consecutive batters in the seventh through the ninth innings on Thursday, with Robertson recording the save in his Mets debut at loanDepot park.

¡°Edwin, as everybody knows, he¡¯s not replaceable,¡± Raley said. ¡°I think we all recognize that and know how great he is. As a group, we¡¯ve come together and know that we¡¯ll each be relied on individually to do different things.¡±

For this unit, the task began in the seventh. Staked to a three-run lead in the middle innings, ?gave it back on a pair of doubles and a two-run homer by Garrett Cooper. But the disappointment did not linger for the Mets, as Brandon Nimmo hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the top of the next inning.

With Scherzer¡¯s pitch count creeping over 90, Showalter handed things over to a bullpen that had endured the brunt of the team¡¯s Spring Training misfortune. Of the seven players the Mets placed on the injured list before Opening Day, six were pitchers. Half of those were relievers who seemed primed to play significant early-season roles: , and, of course, D¨ªaz.

But the Mets built their roster this offseason with an eye toward pitching depth in both their rotation and bullpen. They arrived at camp boasting what general manager Billy Eppler classified as five high-leverage relievers -- a group including D¨ªaz, Robertson, Raley, Smith and . All but D¨ªaz made it to Opening Day healthy, giving Showalter flexibility to maneuver arms as he saw fit.

Showalter¡¯s first decision of the season was to bring in Smith, who allowed a leadoff double to Jorge Soler to bring the tying run to the plate. After a flyout, Smith struck out Bryan De La Cruz and Jacob Stallings in succession, punching out Stallings on a 96-mph fastball above the zone.

¡°That¡¯s a pitch that is going to help me out a lot this year,¡± Smith said, noting that Verlander has been encouraging him to use it more often. ¡°I think I just need to trust it more.¡±

Next up was Raley -- an offseason trade acquisition and the lone left-hander in the bullpen -- who struck out a pair in a perfect eighth inning. Robertson, a relatively modest piece of the team¡¯s offseason spending spree, followed with an equally flawless ninth. The result improved the Mets to 41-21 all time on Opening Day, which is by far the best record of any Major League franchise.

¡°They did exactly what we expected out of them,¡± Robertson said of Smith and Raley. ¡°They¡¯ve both got electric stuff. They came in there and filled up the zone, got big strikeouts when they needed to. We just pushed the ball to the next guy in line and managed to come up with a win.¡±

Ultimately, Showalter acknowledged, the Mets¡¯ bullpen challenge will continue well beyond Opening Day, as the team deals with additional injuries and attempts to keep its healthy relievers as fresh as possible. While Robertson figures to receive the bulk of save chances, Ottavino, Raley and Smith should also see their share.

¡°I thought the guys showed a lot of mental fortitude and toughness today coming into those roles,¡± Nimmo said, ¡°and accepting them and succeeding in them.¡±

For the foreseeable future, the Mets will lean on this group, knowing they can always canvass the midseason trade market if they need to. Their relief corps may be depleted sans D¨ªaz, but it certainly isn¡¯t broken.

As long as that¡¯s the case, Showalter can spend his sleepless hours pondering things other than a bullpen that doesn¡¯t currently qualify as a problem.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com