These days, Edwin Diaz's experience is a spectacle. Even Buck his Showalter delayed going to the bathroom so he could see Diaz do his legendary trot onto the mound during Sunday's game.
But the path to trumpets is often flimsy. Beyond Adam Ottavino, who solidified the eighth inning, there are no reliable options for the bridge to Diaz from the starting pitcher. Let him see two examples from this weekend: Thursday, Showalter pushed Diaz to his save in the first, his 6-out, and two days later, his 9th inning lead of 6 runs was a save situation. Diaz scored his two crucial outs after becoming the first out.
But internal confidence remains strong.
"We have the best closer in the game. I think we probably have the top five bullpen in every category," said the Mets 5-1 to the Reds. Before winning, Ottavino told the Post. "Fans of any team will complain about the bullpen. So we'll see how it works."
In Monday's series opener against the Reds, the Mets' bullpen posted a 3.63 ERA—the 11th-best mark in the majors.
"People who know how to do their job can't pitch enough," he said Ottavino. "We don't know what's going to happen. There's still plenty of baseball left to play." After citing the market, the Mets drew criticism for acquiring just one reliever, Mychal Givens.
Perhaps it's Tyler he's Megill, and ultimately he'll be a relief pitcher, not a starter, returning from IL. Perhaps the left-handed reliever void is David his Peterson, who spun 5¹/3 shutout innings on Saturday, or Joely, who shined in his frame on Sunday when he scoreless 2¹/3. May be buried by Rodriguez.
"I'm glad I joined. I hope more players come back," said Ottavino. "The future is still shrouded in mystery, so those are all good things. Everything feels great right now, but I can't speak to the future."
That line of thinking is appropriate. Givens, for example, has plenty of time to play like a pitcher with his 2.66 ERA for the Cubs.
Ottavino believes in the current bullpen. He also knows that he has to pitch well to play the trumpet.
"I think [the front he office] gave us as many options as possible," said Ottavino. "Because you want all the options."
