On Saturday, veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon made his first relief appearance in over four years, when he pitched three shutout innings for the Yankees against the Orioles on April 14, 2011.
Colon, 42, came into the ninth with the Mets down 3-1 and worked a scoreless inning, striking out two and allowing a David Ortiz double.
“I think he can pitch in any role you put him in,” manager Terry Collins said. “Bartolo is Bartolo. He’s going to come in and make you swing the bat, and he doesn’t get out of his game. He doesn’t beat himself.”
Collins rejected any speculation that Colon was auditioning for a postseason relief role, emphasizing that his bullpen was simply tired and depleted and that it was Bartolo’s day for throwing in between starts.
On Monday, Sandy Alderson shot down the notion that Syndergaard could pitch out of the bullpen to preserve innings between now and the postseason.
The Mets GM told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News that it would be very unlikely. But Alderson didn’t stop there.
“While there has been at least some in the organization who have thought about the possibility of Syndergaard as a late-inning power arm in the pen for the playoffs, Alderson said that is also “unlikely.”
Alderson told Ackert that he was concerned about putting Syndergaard in an unfamiliar role in big spot.
Finally, on Sunday, Terry Collins told reporters that Steven Matz, who will be making his final rehab start tomorrow for Binghamton, will not pitch in relief for the Mets.
Collins said it would be unfair to ask Matz to warm up in a hurry as a releiever. “You’re talking about a guy with injury issues,” Collins said.
The young southpaw is expected to be activated from the DL on Tuesday and slot right into the team’s revived six-man rotation.
