Spring Training has not been too kind to new Metropolitan reliever Antonio Bastardo. In nine innings of work he has put up a 7.00 ERA. During those frames, he has given up eight runs, seven of which were earned, while allowing 10 hits, two of which left the ballpark. He has also walked four, while striking out six.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, Bastardo explained why he has had such crooked numbers this spring.
“There were times where I was a little worried because I found myself feeling a little bit uncomfortable on the mound,” Bastardo said through an interpreter. (NJ.com)
Pitching coach Dan Warthen has been working with Bastardo and believes he has found an issue with Antonio’s mechanics that may be contributing to his struggles and “uncomfortableness.” Since working with Bastardo on these issues, Warthen has liked what he has seen from his last two outings.
“He was getting way too rotational coming across the baseball,” Warthen said. “He did a lot of work on the side, and I think we’ve got things straightened out. Last two outings have been what we wanted to see. Velocity started to creep up, slider started showing some depth to it, some power to it. I think we’re in the right lane and going in the right direction.”
Bastardo, 30, feels the work he has put in with Warthen has helped and he is starting to see the difference in his pitching. In his last two outings he had pitched a scoreless third of an inning against the Miami Marlins this past Monday, and on Thursday he allowed one run on one hit to the Houston Astros over two innings of work.
“I’m in the process of fixing the issue,” Bastardo said. “I’m working on it every day in order to right myself and fix it in time for the start of the season. The last outing that I had I didn’t feel uncomfortable on the mound, and I think what I was doing wrong I’m starting to do right.”
Bastardo, who the Mets signed this past offseason to a two-year, $12 million deal is going to be looked at to be a big part of the bullpen to bridge the gap to Jeurys Familia. It is believed that he would be the Mets’ seventh inning man, giving way to Addison Reed in the eighth.
The veteran lefty is coming off a nice season in 2015 in Pittsburgh in which he pitched to a 2.98 ERA over 66 games, and has been a steady reliever in his career, something this team desperately needs him to be again.
