USA TODAY Sports

The Mets need someone to step up in the bullpen to help get them to elite closer Edwin Díaz and it looks like Seth Lugo might be that guy. The right-hander has been an important cog for the Mets before when he was lights out in the pen for 2018 and 2019.

When Lugo entered the game against the Cubs on July 16, he had a 3.97 ERA and opponents had a .706 OPS against him. Not terrible numbers, but certainly not what the Mets were hoping for in his last season under contract. Starting with that game when he tossed a scoreless inning, Lugo has a 1.80 ERA and has held opponents to a .524 OPS.

During his recent success, Lugo’s ground ball to fly ball rate has nearly doubled and he hasn’t allowed a home run. He’s also flashed better stuff recently as well, with his fastball up to a season-high 98 mph, slider at 90 mph, and a curve up to 3432 RPMs on Tuesday against the Yankees when he struck out two in a scoreless inning. Lugo hit 98 mph four times in the outing after not hitting that mark at all yet in 2022.

Lugo has also been throwing more first-pitch strikes, going from 55% earlier in the season to 63% during his recent success. Getting ahead early in the account has translated to getting more swings at pitches out of the zone at 30.6% since July 16 after only 24.2% to start the year.

While the strikeouts still haven’t been prevalent for Lugo this season, his 0.92 HR/9, 3.31 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP are all his best marks since the 2019 season. Lugo has limited hard contact as well with a 30.2 hardhit% against him, the lowest of his career and in the 92nd percentile. The average exit velocity against Lugo this year is 88.3 mph, just above the 88.2 mph number he allowed in 2019.

Lugo looks like he might have turned the corner on his 2022 season and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mets. If he continues to pitch like this it will make Buck Showalter‘s job a little easier to finish out the 2022 season when he has to find relievers he can depend on.