Josh Edgin is done trying to reinvent the wheel.
After an early-season stretch in which the Mets reliever dabbled with different pitches and struggled, he’s back to what brought him to the major leagues last year: Throwing heat.
“[Zack] Wheeler was my roommate on the road and he just said that I’ve got to stop thinking about stuff,” Edgin said Tuesday upon returning to the Mets from Triple-A Las Vegas. “I quit thinking and just started throwing the [stuffing] out of it.”
Edgin pitched an inning, allowing a hit and a walk in the Mets’ 9-2 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.
Edgin’s velocity dipped into the low 90s earlier this season, but the lefty has returned to throwing 95 mph on a consistent basis. After a shaky stretch at Las Vegas, he didn’t allow a run in his last four appearances for the 51s.
“He was pounding the strike zone with his fastball and therefore his slider became an effective pitch,” manager Terry Collins said. “They tell me he’s back to being who he was when he got here last year, which is pretty good.”
The Mets are betting Edgin can be an improvement over Robert Carson, who posted a 8.50 ERA and in 13 appearances for the Mets before his demotion on Sunday.
* David Wright and Robinson Cano of the Yankees have been named captains for the Home Run Derby as part of All-Star week at Citi Field. Wright will be entrusted with selecting the NL’s three other participants for the event on July 15.
“Open tryouts,” Wright said. “I am going to have to do some scouting.”
Wright was the runner up in the Home Run Derby in 2006 and slumped immediately after the All-Star break, but said he doesn’t believe there was any correlation between the two.
* Ike Davis requested to the Mets Josh Satin take his locker, and that wish was granted. Satin was unaware Davis had made such a request, but was hardly surprised by the gesture.
“He is one of my best friends in the organization,” Satin said.
But Satin said jokingly he was disappointed Davis didn’t leave him a gift in the locker.
Collins is still undecided on the pitching order in Atlanta for Tuesday’s doubleheader, when Wheeler is expected to make his major league debut. Matt Harvey is also scheduled to pitch that day.
Collin Cowgill will be relegated to bench duty, as Collins will use a platoon of Kirk Niuewenhuis and Juan Lagares in center field, allowing his corner outfielders, Lucas Duda and Marlon Byrd, to play everyday.
The manager said Cowgill made adjustments laying off the breaking ball down and away during his stint at Triple-A Las Vegas.
“The issue right now is how we’re going to get him playing time,” Collins said. “How are we going to get him in the lineup?”