Corey Oswalt yielded three runs over six plus innings on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves and came away with a no decision as the Mets lost in extra innings.
For Oswalt, 24, it was the first time he has pitched into the seventh inning, and while he got burned by an Ender Inciarte two-run homer, it was overall a solid appearance.
In his last three starts, the California native has tossed 16 innings, and has allowed just six earned runs over that span.
The former seventh round pick’s ERA stands at 5.13 due in large part to a rough outing early on this season against the Miami Marlins when he was lit up for six runs in 2.2 innings.
Since then, however, he has buckled down and handed in some inspiring starts.
With the Mets out of contention, now is as good of a time as ever to run Oswalt out there every fifth day to see what he’s got.
Steven Matz is hurt, but even when he returns, Oswalt should get the advantage over Jason Vargas, who has provided little to no value to this team in 2018 with his 8.23 ERA.
Oswalt isn’t the flashiest of pitchers, but he has a solid track record of getting the job done.
In 2017, he won the Eastern League pitcher of the year honors after going 12-5 with a 2.28 ERA for Double-A Binghamton.
From his last few starts, Oswalt has started to settle in and has thrown his hat into the ring as an option for the rotation in 2019.
