Carlos Mendoza couldn’t hold on to first place in the division after the New York Mets dropped their series to the Phillies. The team struggled on the mound, and afterward, the manager opened up about one of his growing concerns: the state of the bullpen.
According to Mendoza, the Mets need to address a troubling trend—starting pitchers failing to go deep into games, putting too much strain on the bullpen night after night.
“I’m more concerned now about the state of the bullpen and how much we’ve used those guys,” Mendoza said after the final game against Philadelphia. Still, he believes they have good arms and will find a way to manage the situation.
Mets Starters Showing Little Depth in Recent Stretch
Over their last 10 MLB games, Mets starters have pitched five or more innings in just four outings. The other six saw them pulled after just three or four innings. The deepest recent outing came from Canning, who pitched five innings in Game 2 of a win.
Despite decent ERA numbers across the rotation—Paterson leads all starters with 90.2 innings and recently went seven in one outing—the bullpen is carrying a heavy load. Brazoban has thrown 41.2 innings, while José Buttó has logged 39.1.
Fans Point Fingers at David Stearns
Following Mendoza’s comments, some fans took to social media to blame President of Baseball Operations David Stearns for the lack of reliable starting pitching and the bullpen’s overuse. “Even the most casual fan could see this coming a mile away… BP had been overworked since day 1,” one fan wrote on X.
Another added, “Stearns has 2 good relievers—Minter and Diaz. One got hurt, and they abused the rest. Mendoza stinks too with his management, but can’t put it all on him when he’s given nothing but scraps. @StevenACohen2 sorry buddy, you gotta open up that wallet again.”