Prior to having a player and staff member test positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, which resulted in the postponement of the fourth-and-final game of their series with the Marlins, the Mets made the decision to move closer Seth Lugo back to the rotation.

I caught up with right-handed relief pitcher Brad Brach in a phone interview on Thursday afternoon to discuss what this change means for the rest of the Mets bullpen once they are able to resume play.

Changes In The Bullpen

“Anytime you lose a guy like Seth in the bullpen it hurts, but we figure it will help on the other side in the rotation. You hope guys step up and take the opportunity and maybe some of the young guys will step in and prove they’re ready,” Brach told Metsmerized.

“I think it means we just need to tighten up more. We have a pretty veteran bullpen as a lot of guys have been in this situation before. It’s the next man up mentality. If someone is hurt or unavailable, everyone slides up an inning. They are going to ask more from us but it’s not anything we haven’t already had to deal with in our careers.”

“No one is really pressing themselves to pick their role up or anything like that, it’s just one of those things where you have to be ready when the ball is given to you and you might have a different role, but we are all capable to handling it.”

With the Mets clinging to a two-run lead prior to the eighth inning on Wednesday night, there was no sign of Lugo. This led Steve Gelbs to speculate on SNY’s broadcast that there had been some whispers around the organization about Lugo rejoining the rotation, which was the only logical explanation for him not to be put in for his usual six-out save.

Brach says the pitching staff was made fully aware of the situation prior to the game.

“The team did a good job with communicating these plans to us beforehand that they were thinking of putting Seth back in the rotation. They also made us aware that there would be more innings to pickup now. We all saw it coming when they discussed it with us earlier in the series,” said Brach.

Lugo was ultimately removed from the bullpen despite being their most dominant reliever, as a result of a rash of injuries to the Mets starting rotation. But Brach feels as though this factor does not add more pressure to the bullpen.

“It’s not really pressure, there’s just a bigger load to haul. It’s about having to go out there and get the job done a little more often. A lot of teams are having rotation issues this season. The Mets saw it coming and tried to stack as many arms as they could and unfortunately we’ve gotten caught with the injury bug. But the bullpen has been pitching really well,” Brach said.

All Signs Point to Diaz as the Closer 

While Brach says he is unsure if the team is planning to use a closer by committee, he says all signs point to Edwin Diaz, who was removed from this role last month.

“Obviously, he got off to a bad start. Growing up a Mets fan I know that when you get off to a bad start you’re going to hear it from the fans. I think he maybe got a little shook last year. Anyone who watches Diaz will tell you he’s one of the best relievers in baseball and his stuff and numbers back that up.”

“I believe he’s one of the elite closers in the league and I know he had a bad year last year, but every reliever has experienced similar ups-and-downs in their career. Honestly, this adversity will probably help him moving forward. I have as much confidence in him as any closer in the league and I think he’s going to be just fine when put back in that role. Once he goes out there and strikes out some guys, he will be ready to roll.”

“He’s shown a lot the past couple weeks. Most pitchers would have folded after getting off to another bad start but he has really shown a lot of resilience. It was on display on Wednesday after walking in the tying run. He came back to strikeout the next four batters and lockdown a win for us, which was huge. He has tightened up his slider lately and has shown how un-hittable he can be.”

Could Brach Close Some Games?

Brach has closing experience with 33 career saves. However, he has not had a chance since 2018. But that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question for him.

“I think I still need to prove that i’m healthy and back to myself and can handle that role. That’s how bullpens work, you get a shot in the seventh and if you have success it kind of goes from there. It’s one of the things i’m hoping for, but not expecting to get. I will be ready though if asked to close games.”

“The game has changed because the sixth and seventh innings have become almost as important as the eighth and ninth because the starters don’t go as deep anymore.”

“For me, it’s been a confidence thing where I want to do well in my inning and hope to have a chance to go out there to do it again the next day. I just have to go out there and earn it first.”

“I had Covid recently and I think it’s the reason that i’m not fully back to myself yet as far as my velocity goes,” said Brach.

Brach has been throwing between 89-91 mph since coming back from the injured list, when normally, his average fastball velocity is 94 mph plus.

Brach grew up a die hard Mets fan in Freehold, New Jersey and attended Monmouth University. Him and his brother actually spectators at Citi Field for game three of the 2015 World Series back when Brach was with the Orioles, who had been eliminated earlier in the postseason.

Optimism For Matz 

Brach now lives in Tennessee during the off-season, right down the road from teammate Steven Matz. This helped the two grow closer as they played catch everyday together during the Covid shutdown, according to Brach.

Brach talked about the recent struggles of Matz and expressed optimism that he will be able to right the ship.

“He has some of the best stuff in the league. Lefty, righty, it doesn’t matter. For him, it’s about reigning it in and finding what’s successful. I think he’s had a lot of different coaches and opinions on how he should be pitching, but he hasn’t found the best style that fits himself best yet at this level.”

“Sometimes, going to the bullpen will help you find yourself by getting these short stints to figure out what works. It’s only a matter of time before he figures it out and is back in the rotation. He has too good of stuff and he’s a power lefty that can go out there and pitch multiple innings to help his team win.”

“He has a great mental approach and attitude to the game. He has already sought out several pitchers in our clubhouse to try and pick things up to figure out what’s been going wrong.”

“It’s been tough to watch him go out there and struggle given how good his stuff is. He will figure it out, but sometimes it takes guys a little longer to. You have to realize that pitching takes time. I didn’t figure it out until I turned 29-years-old. Growing up in the Northeast we don’t throw as many innings so it can take longer to develop.”

“Any kind of success is going to help his confidence at this point. He will be able to apply what he learned when he goes back to the rotation. His stuff is way too good to not be out there.”

Pitching Support

Brach mentioned pitching coach Jeremy Hefner as a positive force in the clubhouse, who can help fix Matz.

“Hefner is a great pitching coach. He’s the perfect mediator between the analytical side and upfront as a pitcher. He has major league experience and is still young and understands the data. He has been a huge help to the guys so far and myself personally.”

Brach and Hefner were teammates in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system. They are also the same age at 34-years-old, which Brach says has helped boost their connection.

Hefner and assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo have played an important role in helping Brach refine his changeup, which is his bread-and-butter pitch.

“I figured out I was cutting my changeup. They helped me get back on-top of it. Now, it stays there until it gets to the strike zone before it falls out of the picture, which fools hitters.”

Accardo has also encouraged Brach to use his cutter more and it has become a staple in Brach’s holster of pitches.

Former Mets pitching coach Phil Regan helped fix Brach’s mechanics when he came over from the Cubs at the end of last year.

“I never had a mechanical issue until the last few years. Phil made me stand up straight on the mound. When I came over from the Cubs, I had been throwing in a crouched position, which was revealing too much. He got me more relaxed and back in line. He told me to just go out there and do my thing and i’ve built off of that progress since the end of last season.”

What Lies Ahead 

The Mets were looking to finish their road trip with a winning record at 4-3, but Covid had other plans postponing the final game after two members of the team tested positive.

With Friday’s game being postponed, as well, it is still unknown whether the weekend series will be played at all against their crosstown rival New York Yankees.

But, Brach is fully aware of what’s at stake if they do get the green light to resume.

“Anytime you play the team in your own city, there’s always a different feel. Whenever you play the Yankees, these are the biggest games of the year. Hopefully we can get a series win or a sweep but we just need to take things one day at a time.”

October or Bust 

When asked if he sees his team playing baseball in October this year, Brach is confident they have what it takes to get there and make some noise.

“Our lineup has proven to be capable. If we can stabilize our rotation and kind of even things out there, I think we have as good of a shot as anybody. I’ve felt that way since the beginning, but we ran into the injury bug and some tough skids. We have more than enough talent to make a run at the postseason and go deep into October. Right now, we are just hoping we can keep playing consistent baseball and solidify the backend of the bullpen to make the job easier,” said Brach.