It’s a fine line every manager walks, that balance between bringing late-inning relievers in when needed and the danger of overuse.
It’s the fine line the Mets’ Terry Collins is walking these past couple days with set-up man Jeurys Familia and closer Jenrry Mejia.
Both pitchers insist they are fine and could pitch forever if needed, though both acknowledged being a little “tired.” On Monday, citing a slight drop in velocity, Collins gave Familia the night off. On Tuesday, Collins did the same for Mejia, who blew a potential four-out save the previous night against Atlanta.
“We’re going to back off Jenrry a little bit,” Collins said before the Mets won their third straight game and fourth in five tries. “He’s had two fairly long outings so we’re going to back him down.”
So that had Familia in the closer’s role, something he relished.
“I’m feeling great, maybe I feel a little tired,” Familia said before finishing up the Mets’ 8-3 thumping of the Braves Tuesday. “But I can close. Everything’s good.”
Which is how Collins wants to keep it, especially with Mejia. On Monday, Mejia sought a save of more than one inning for the third time in 11 days. That didn’t go well: he surrendered two hits, one run and an intentional walk in the eighth before working a troublesome, but scoreless, ninth inning. The Mets won in 11 innings.
Mejia, who pitched six times totaling seven innings in 11 days, waved off the notion of overuse.
“That’s not it. I’m the closer I have to be out there and do the best I can. It’s going to happen sometimes. Sometimes you’ve going to pitch good, sometimes bad,” Mejia said. “The big thing is we won the game. I still think I did my job.
“I’m a little bit tired because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in that situation,” Mejia said of multiple-inning saves, including two in a four-day stretch. “I come from two operations on my arm [2013, 2011] and I was out for a long time. That’s pretty hard but now I feel great, no pain. Just a little bit tired.”
Mejia had been groomed as a starter in the majors. But circumstances changed. And Collins is thrilled with his development as a closer.
“Jenrry is doing just fine,” Collins said. “[Monday] with the Braves in that particular situation I thought that was where the game was on the line. That’s why I brought him in. To be honest, most closers walk in when the bases are empty. … We’ve asked him to step up a couple times in situations where normally a closer doesn’t have to get in that role.
“That’s my responsibility. I said, ‘Hey, if I’m going to get beat I’m going to get beat here with my closer on the mound.’ … He certainly shows the durability to go out there numerous days in a row. He’s getting better and better each and every time he goes out.”
As long as he doesn’t go out too often. So Collins acknowledged he will proceed with caution.
“We need to take a look at [innings, appearances] in a month or so. … He’s gone four or five days without getting in a game. So to pitch an inning and a third isn’t an overload by any means except if you have to do it three days in a row,” Collins said. “Then it becomes an issue. But he’s not overworked by any stretch of the imagination.
“Due to the fact I know he has started, he can throw a lot of pitches, but I still think you’re asking for trouble by asking to do it a lot. It’s just not what those guys are supposed to do,” Collins said. “Again we said when we made this guy the closer, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t overdo it. [Monday] after the game [we] said [Tuesday] might be a day for this guy [to rest]. He totally agreed and actually said his arm’s getting a little tired.”