The Mets bullpen spared Freddy Peralta’s blushes Sunday as it produced five scoreless innings to silence the Dodgers down the stretch.
Despite what has turned into a lost season for the team, the bullpen’s ERA ranks in the top half of MLB and the Mets needed that stinginess after Peralta racked up 93 pitches in just four innings.
Cionel Pérez steadied the ship (and got the win) with six key outs, before Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams all produced scot-free innings as well.
Weaver did particularly well to make an off-balance throw while falling down to throw out Teoscar Hernández from an infield chopper.
Perez, whom the Mets initially signed to a minor league deal in May, has given the team some good innings in relief, with a 4.38 ERA and 31 strikeouts (following three more Sunday).
“He was a huge kind of midseason pickup. Our scouts identified him — been the right kind of guy in every way,” interim manager Andy Green said after the game. “Really attacked the zone.”
Green also praised the 30-year-old for getting All-Star Freddie Freeman to strike out swinging on a low fastball, and ultimately getting the Mets through the middle innings after another rocky start from Peralta.
“We needed them [the six outs] at that point in time,” Green said.
It remains to be seen how different the Mets bullpen will look after the trade deadline.
Weaver and Raley have had extremely strong years (with 1.93 and 2.10 ERAs, respectively), and Green hinted after the game that there could be “more conservative” bullpen decisions made in the near future.
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“If those guys [the bullpen overall] are feeling great, they will still pitch,” he said. “But we will be conservative to some degree and make good decisions for them, put them in a good position. I think we always do that from a medical staff perspective.”
For now, Green, the Mets and their bullpen will focus on winning the next two home series against the Braves and Marlins.
