Daisuke Matsuzaka knows his stat line with the Mets, and he knows what Freddie Freeman‘s three-run bomb on Monday looked like. That’s why he appeared to be ready to bid adieu to his third — and quite possibly final — major league team after lasting just three innings on Labor Day.
But Mets manager Terry Collins sounded strangely optimistic after Matsuzaka gave up six runs on seven hits Monday, finding nary a reason not to send him back to the mound after three starts in which he’s racked up a 10.95 ERA.
“There’s no reason why we probably don’t run [Matsuzaka] out there again,” Collins said, according to the New York Post. “We’ll get him ready for the next start.”
That may be news to Matsuzaka, who was just short of packing his bags Monday.
“Looking at the way I pitched today, if I’m told this is my last start, then it’s something I’ll have to accept,” he said. “… The difference between my good pitches and my bad pitches is just too big, and that’s something that needs to change.”
The Mets are looking for help from anywhere after losing ace Matt Harvey, but they may be a bit misguided when it comes to what they’re hoping to get from Matsuzaka, who has struggled greatly since returning to the majors from Tommy John surgery.
“One of the things we’ve been a little surprised at is [Matsuzaka] has been so known for locating his pitches,” Collins said. “And that’s something he’s not doing.”
Maybe the Mets should go with Matsuzaka’s gut on this one.
