As expected, Greg Burke was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Justin Turner who was activated from the DL.
Original Post 9:00 AM
With the Mets all but set to activate Justin Turner from the disabled list today before they begin their series with the Atlanta Braves, many believed that reliever Gonzalez Germen would get the heave-ho. No way…
Little was made of the rookie reliever when the Mets tabbed him to provide a fresh arm for worn-out bullpen and nobody expected his stay to last long. That is until he started pitching and doing so very effectively I might add.
In his last appearance, he limited Zack Wheeler‘s earned runs to just two, after taking over for him with the bases juiced and ending the threat and leaving all three baserunners stranded. He went on to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings of relief and picked up his first big league win in the process as the Mets beat the Phillies 5-4.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen is strikes,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “He’s coming right after them. I’ll tell you what, he’s throwing all his pitches over the plate, which is impressive.”
It wasn’t the first time in his short time with the Mets that he brought in with bases loaded and left them stranded. Before the All Star break, he did the same thing on July 13 against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. That was when he first grabbed my attention, and for a change, even Collins has taken note and perhaps made the case for Germen to remain in the bullpen.
“He’s only been here a week and he’s been in three or four games already, but I tell you he’s been very, very impressive. When we look at the big picture, he’s got a great arm, he’s a young guy. We talked in spring that we needed to find some relief. It looks like he might be the guy that steps up and grabs one of those jobs.”
As Met fans, bringing in a reliever with the bases jammed usually has us covering our eyes and praying for the best. And in most cases we don’t come out of it unscathed. But at least for now, Germen has shown the wherewithal to survive in those instances and not have his cage rattled. For that he’ll be rewarded with more work as the Mets try and figure out if we have a viable piece for the future.
The 25-year old righty has a 1.17 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, and 4.64 K/BB rate in six minor league seasons since being signed as an International Free Agent in 2007 by Omar Minaya.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be using him a little bit more,” Collins said.
Agreed. Farewell Greg Burke.
