The Mets ended their road trip through Oakland, Los Angeles and San Francisco with seven wins, the second-most victories on such a stretch in franchise history.
As a result, bullpen management was impactful at the end of the trip. After use during the long road stretch, relievers Adam Ottavino and David Robertson did not pitch in the San Francisco series.
Mike Yastrzemski delivered the game-winning hit for San Francisco in a 5-4 win over the Mets in the eighth inning against Drew Smith to put the Giants in front. After the game, Buck Showalter discussed how he used his bullpen during the final games in California.
“[Smith] is a good pitcher,” Showalter said. “He had two days off. We were going to use Ottavino or Robertson in the ninth based on the moves they made. We are confident with any of those guys pitching.”
As a staff, the Mets are fifth in the National League with 201 innings pitched. In terms of depth, keeping relievers fresh remains a priority for New York as the club remains without Edwin Diaz.
“It’s a good thing for us,” said Showalter. “We try to monitor and keep everybody physically fit. They were available. The situation didn’t present itself today.”
Sunday did allow New York to gain more confidence in other relievers such as Brooks Raley and Jeff Brigham to deliver in key spots.
“Raley very quietly has been pitching real well,” Showalter said. “It looks like Brigham is emerging as a guy who can help us too. We’ll continue to try and spread the load around.”
The pitching staff will have a chance to rest with Monday’s off day before starting a seven-game homestand on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.