Kyle Farnsworth already is embracing what Terry Collins is trying to convince Jose Valverde to do. The Mets manager had a recent heart-to-heart with his former closer and told Valverde he no longer can depend solely on his fastball to get people out. It’s time to be more of a pitcher and not just a thrower.
“I told him you’ve got to start using your other pitches and get [hitters] to know you’ll throw it,” Collins said of Valverde. “He’s got a good split and a slider. For him to be truly, truly effective and maybe be the closer again, he’s got to use all of his pitches.”
Valverde tried to put Collins’ advice into practice in the Mets 3-0 loss to the Cardinals Tuesday night at Citi Field. The beleaguered reliever came in to pitch the ninth inning and gave up one run.
He did try to mix up his changeup and splitter with his fastball, but allowed a four-pitch walk to start the inning and a run-scoring single. He faced four batters and struck out two. Baby steps.
“He’s trying to use his split more, and I think that will help,” Collins said after the game.
Farnsworth, in his 17th big league season, already has accepted the fact that his 90-plus mph fastball
doesn’t always have the smoke and location it needs to overpower hitters. He was elevated to the closer role on Sunday — the Mets third closer in three weeks — after Valverde allowed four home runs in three games. Valverde had succeeded Bobby Parnell who was lost the first week of the season due to elbow surgery.
“When this guy was throwing 96, 97, [mph] he could live with it because he located it,” Collins said of Valverde. “He still throws strikes but it’s not the same pitch. After four or five in a row, guys at this level adjust.”
That’s what happened Tuesday night as Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday ripped a 94 mph fastball for a run-scoring single, but was thrown out trying to reach second. Figure Valverde to be a work in progress.
Farnsworth, 38, long ago came to grips that he needed more than a fastball to continue to pitch in the major leagues. He now uses a slider, a split finger and a changeup from time to time just to keep hitters off balance.
“Maybe I’m more of pitcher now,” Farnsworth said before Tuesday’s game. “The league makes adjustments toward you and you have to make adjustments or you’re not going to last very long. You just have to continually do that.”
Perhaps Valverde, who has 288 career saves, has gotten the message and will continue to use his setup role to develop his other pitches. But the closer’s role for now belongs to Farnsworth, a spring training afterthought cut loose by the Pirates after last season.
He collected his first save since Sept. 29, 2013 and fifth in the last five years, in preserving a 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Monday. He did not make an appearance Tuesday night.
Collins said there are concerns about Farnsworth’s durability. He saw action in three of the previous four games before Tuesday, and it would be tempting to use him every night considering, the right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 9¹/₃ innings.
“We have to be aware that there might be some issues,” Collins said.
Farnsworth said he is happy to have the any job after the Mets released him during the spring to avoid paying him a $100,000 bonus. He was re-signed a few days later.
“You have to deal with the situation you’re dealt and have a positive attitude,” said Farnsworth, who has played on eight major league teams including a stint with the Yankees from 2006-2007.
Though Farnsworth is the closer for now, it doesn’t sound like Collins has given up on Valverde, and may use him to finish games when Farnsworth needs a rest. But the manager wants Valverde to be pitcher and not just a thrower.