Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Not much went right for the Mets on Monday evening in Atlanta.

Carlos Carrasco left the game with soreness in his side after giving up three runs in only two innings. The cavalcade of relievers that followed Carrasco–Joely Rodriguez, Adonis Medina and new acquisition Mychal Givens–did not fare any better, giving up 10 runs in just four innings of work, in the process turning the first game in the Mets’ four game set with the Braves into a laugher.

The only Met who enjoyed any success at all on the mound last night? That would be Darin Ruf–another new acquisition, though one who was brought in more for his prowess hitting left handers than retiring them from the mound. Jokes were abound after the game, with some facetiously suggesting that Ruf could be an option for a suddenly beleaguered Mets bullpen.

Still, even for the fans in no mood to laugh about Monday’s loss to the second-place Braves, Ruf’s two innings could prove legitimately valuable to a team embarking on a tough stretch of games on the road against their chief rivals. Ruf, who allowed just one hit on 14 pitches in his two scoreless innings, allowed the Mets to give the back end of their bullpen the night off in a game they had little to no chance of winning after the 4th inning.

Asked about the key to shutting down the powerful Braves lineup, Ruf quipped, “throw 55 or 60 miles-per-hour.” Ruf admitted that “you never want to pitch as a position player, but you understand it sometimes. Over 162 games, the possibility is real.”

The possibility was all too real on Monday for the Mets. Hopefully, the Mets can avoid putting a position player on the mound for the rest of this season. If disaster does once again strike, though, it seems there is a leader in the clubhouse to take the ball once more.