NEW YORK (AP) — In a surprising move Monday, the New York Mets cut veteran reliever Jake Diekman and promoted fellow left-hander Matt Gage from Triple-A Syracuse.
Diekman was 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA and four saves in a team-high 43 appearances after signing a $4 million, one-year contract with the Mets in February. He earned a huge save at Yankee Stadium last Tuesday, striking out red-hot slugger Aaron Judge with a runner aboard in the ninth inning of a 3-2 victory.
But the 37-year-old Diekman allowed three runs and four hits over two innings in a pair of outings against Atlanta over the weekend and was designated for assignment before Monday night's series opener versus Minnesota.
“Not an easy one, especially when you're dealing with a guy like Diek who's been here since day one, spring training, here all the way to this point, been in this league for a long time — and he was such a professional," manager Carlos Mendoza said.
"He was always willing to take the baseball. And when it was hard for him, going through his struggles and things like that, he was always available. He always wanted to be there. But we got to the point where we needed to make a decision.”
Diekman has struck out 40 batters and walked 24 in 32 innings. He is 27-34 with a 3.91 ERA and 19 saves over 13 major league seasons with nine teams.
New York has seven days to trade, release or send him outright to the minors, an assignment he would have the right to refuse in favor of free agency.
Gage was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash on July 7 and will be looking to make his first big league appearance of the season. He is 0-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 16 games and 19 2/3 innings with Toronto (2022) and Houston (2023).
The 31-year-old Gage grew up about 200 miles from Citi Field in upstate New York and attended Siena College just outside Albany. He had three saves in five outings with Syracuse, striking out seven and walking two in 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
“Throws over the top. The two-seam, the cutter, can get righties, lefties," Mendoza said. "Been watching film obviously since we got him a couple of weeks ago. So yeah, he's here, ready to go, and he'll get opportunities.”
Depleted by a rash of injuries, New York's bullpen has been in constant flux all season as president of baseball operations David Stearns tries to improve a shaky unit. Veteran right-handers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek were obtained in trades this month.
“We've been dealing with it the whole year. It always happens. It's always evolving, you're always looking for the next guy and how can you get better?" Mendoza said. "It's been a little bit of a challenge, to be honest with you. But, trust the guys that we've got in there and we'll continue to give them opportunities.”
Of the eight relievers on the Mets' opening day roster, Adam Ottavino and closer Edwin Díaz are the only ones who remain in their bullpen. New York has blown 16 of 44 save chances, and a major league-high nine pitchers have earned a save this season — tied for the second most in franchise history.
The Mets rank 19th in the majors with a 4.09 bullpen ERA, but that number is 3.08 in 38 innings since the All-Star break.
Still, the Mets began the day holding the final wild-card spot in a crowded National League playoff race.
“You've got to get familiar with a lot of these guys that, you don't know how comfortable they are either going back-to-back, going multiple innings, how quick they recover," Mendoza said. "Situations in the game — you would like to give them a clean inning, or bring them in with runners on. So there's a lot to learn here from a lot of these guys that you're not really familiar with, and that's kind of been the biggest thing.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Diekman stares into the outfield as Atlanta Braves' Ramón Laureano rounds third base after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)
TORONTO (AP) — José Berríos pitched seven strong innings to win his seventh straight start, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in his 500th career run and scored twice, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 on Saturday.
Guerrero went 1 for 3 with a walk, maintaining his batting average at .320, the third-highest in the AL.
“This year he’s separated himself and been on a different level offensively,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Guerrero. “He’s a really good hitter who understands how to drive in runs.”
Guerrero, 25, is the youngest player in Blue Jays history to drive in 500 runs. He reached the mark in 806 games.
Davis Schneider went 3 for 4 with a home run and drove in two as Toronto won its second straight.
Addison Barger had two hits and an RBI and Alejandro Kirk drove in a pair as the Blue Jays handed the Cardinals their first series loss against an AL East opponent in more than two years.
St. Louis lost for the fifth time in eight games and fell back to .500 at 74-74. The Cardinals began the day seven games out of the third NL wild card.
“I’m not really looking at the standings,” Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “I’m not too worried about it. Just try to take care of business and we’ll see where we end up. Obviously we’ve dug ourselves a hole and we need teams to play bad for us to get to where we want to go.”
Berríos (16-9) allowed one run and two hits, walked two and struck out four. He’s 3-0 in five career starts against St. Louis.
“Offensively, we just didn’t string anything together all day,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Berríos did a nice job against us.”
Arenado praised Berríos for making at least 30 starts in each of the past six full seasons, excluding 2020.
“He doesn’t get a whole lot of credit around the game for how consistent he really is, just posting and putting innings up,” Arenado said. “He’s probably one of the more consistent pitchers in the game that people don’t talk about. His ball moves a lot.”
Roy Halladay won a Toronto-record 11 consecutive starts in 2003.
Ryan Burr worked the eighth and Luis Frías finished for Toronto.
Jordan Walker hit a solo home run, his third of the season, for the Cardinals. St. Louis came in 9-4 against AL East foes. They last lost a series to an AL East team by dropping two of three at Boston in June, 2022.
Arenado stayed in the game after an insect stung his left pinkie while he was fielding in the eighth.
“A bee flew near my ear, I wiped it with my glove,” Arenado said. “I thought it was gone, I put my glove on and got stung. It got stuck in my glove and it stung me on my pinkie. When I pulled my hand out after it stung me, the stinger was on my finger.”
Arenado had some mild swelling but said he expected to be available Sunday.
Walker opened the scoring with a two-out homer in the third, but Schneider tied it by connecting off Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson in the bottom half for his 11th home run and first since June 22.
Toronto took the lead with a four-run sixth. After the Blue Jays used a single and two walks to load the bases, Gibson exited after shortstop Masyn Winn’s throwing error on Ernie Clement’s grounder allowed the tiebreaking run to score.
Ryan Fernandez came on and gave up Kirk’s RBI groundout, and run-scoring singles by Barger and Schneider.
Gibson (8-7) allowed five runs – one earned – and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out one.
“It’s unfortunate how the outing ended,” Gibson said. “Overall I felt pretty good, just wish I could have avoided those two walks there in the sixth.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Leo Jiménez was scratched from the lineup because of a right index finger contusion and replaced by Clement. … OF Joey Loperfido departed after four innings because of left adductor discomfort, the team said.
UP NEXT
RHP Yariel Rodríguez (1-6, 4.42) is scheduled to start for Toronto Sunday as the Blue Jays look for the sweep. RHP Miles Mikolas (8-11, 5.55) starts for the Cardinals.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider rounds the bases after hitting a home run off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson during third inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson works against Toronto Blue Jays during first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider celebrates in the dug out with teammate Luis De Los Santos after hitting a home run off St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Gibson during third inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos works against St. Louis Cardinals during first inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18) rounds the bases after hitting a home run off Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berrios during the third inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
José Berríos of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during fourth inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Paige Taylor White/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos works against St. Louis Cardinals during first inning interleague MLB baseball action in Toronto, Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
