The fourth piece of the puzzle to the Mets’ stud rotation, rookie Steven Matz, had an effective night on the mound in Saturday’s 8-2 drubbing of the Atlanta Braves. Matz improved his record to 2-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 5.40.
Matz allowed just two runs in 6.1 innings of work, giving up nine hits while striking out eight and walking none. He dodged in and out of trouble at various times throughout the game, his biggest challenge came in the third inning.
After hitting Nick Markakis with an 0-2 pitch, followed by a single to Daniel Castro, Matz had his hands full. With two men on the dangerous Freddie Freeman now stood between him and escaping trouble. But the star first baseman lined a double down the right field corner to plate the Braves’ first run.
“It was just about pitch selection there,” Matz said. “I kind of had Freeman. He was laying off those pitches, those fastballs away. He wasn’t showing me anything on that and then I just went ahead and threw him a slider… That was the wrong pitch there.” (Newsday)
Matz didn’t have much else to complain about on the day. We saw some great velocity from the 24 year old southpaw and fantastic poise on the mound in the face of adversity. Manager, Terry Collins was pleased with the results.
“There was a couple pitches he wanted back. The ball to Freeman,” Collins said. “He tried to get it down and away and left it on the plate. But other than that, he pitched a very good game.”
Steven saw some more trouble in the fifth inning. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, he allowed singles to Castro and Freeman. Pitching coach, Dan Warthen came out to speak to Matz on how to handle the following batter, Adonis Garcia. Matz retired him with ease on three straight sinkers, getting the strikeout.
“That was what Dan came out and talked to me about,” Matz said. “He told me exactly what the game plan was for that guy, and that was what we were able to execute.”
Matz has come along quite well from his first start of the season, when he allowed an alarming seven runs in just 1.2 innings pitched. With his MLB career only nine starts old, his 3.20 ERA, 3.29 FIP and 9.2 K/9 point to a solid breakthrough season for the hometown kid.
