With Jenry Mejia suspended and Jeurys Familia moved from setup man to the closer’s role, Carlos Torres has taken over as the Mets primary setup man.
Torres for the most part, has been reliable despite being used heavily. Tuesday was an exception.
Torres came in the bottom of the 8th inning with the score tied at 3 and immediately put himself in trouble by walking two of the first three hitters he faced. That proved costly when Michael Morse laced the go-ahead RBI single that won it for the Marlins 4-3.
Torres admitted that the two walks were critical. “Those first two walks cost us big,” said Torres. (Adam Rubin, ESPN)
Torres has now appeared in 11 of the 21 games. He said he was aiming the ball.
“It’s the difference between throwing and trying to ‘feel’, said Torres. “I was just trying to stick the ball in the zone and make sure to throw strikes instead of just throwing it and it would be a strike.”
“When you try to ‘feel,’ that’s what happens. The ball gets sprayed a little bit, which really sucks, because once I got my rhythm… I was pounding the zone. But that’s the name of the game. That’s what cost you right there — the two walks.”
On Morse’s go ahead single, which was a sinker, Carlos added: “I didn’t look on film, but I don’t throw too many two-seam fastballs.. I thought I was down. I thought it was good. But he’s a professional too, and a good hitter.”
Until Parnell and Black come back, Carlos will still likely be used in late game situations most of the time. The Mets hope he will bounce back in his next appearance.
