Over 12 appearances in July (12.2 innings), New York Mets right-hander Seth Lugo allowed no earned runs, striking out 16 with one walk and a 0.32 WHIP — best among qualified MLB relievers over that span — earning him the honor of being named to MLB’s Team of the Month.
His 1.17 FIP (fifth among qualified NL relievers in July), 0.71 walks per nine (fourth), 20.8% hard-hit rate (fifth), and 0.8 wins above replacement (first; FanGraphs) in July were a welcome sight considering the hardships this team’s relief corps has faced over the first three months of the season.
At a time when the Mets’ trampled bullpen needed it the most, the 29-year-old Louisiana native became the undisputed foundation of this group.
The opportunity was born out of necessity, judging how Mickey Callaway could hardly trust a large portion of his relievers to get the job done in any situation, and it could be argued Lugo’s excellence played a huge factor in the ‘pen’s resurgence.
After posting a 5.63 ERA over the first half of the season — third-worst in baseball — New York’s relievers have a 3.22 ERA in the second half, third-best in MLB. Night and day.
Along with the group’s increased combined effectiveness, Justin Wilson, who returned to the Mets after a nearly two-month layoff (left elbow soreness), has been exceptionally solid (1.13 ERA in the second half, albeit with 5.63 BB/9) and looks to have organically assumed Jeurys Familia‘s deserted high-leverage spot.
With Mets starters going longer into games as of late (averaging 6.29 innings per game in the second half compared to 5.64 innings per game in the first half), the burden on the relievers has been lessened, to an extent.
Protecting the Flushing Five’s leads at a time when they mean more than ever is about as high-leverage as it gets in this game.
Seth Lugo acting as this group’s anchor — allowing guys like Wilson, Robert Gsellman (3.18 ERA over eight post-ASG appearances; 11.1 innings) and Luis Avilan (0.00 ERA over 6.1 second-half innings; eight appearances) to continue to thrive and, hopefully, easing the presumable stress on embattled closer, Edwin Diaz — could have long-lasting, profound ripple effects for this ballclub.
Stability is a key ingredient to a successful major-league bullpen. From the outside looking in, Seth Lugo’s consistently elite productivity over the last month has brought that to the Mets’ ‘pen. Let’s hope this trend continues.
