Luis Severino Dominates While Bullpen Holds Serve

Luis Severino entered Saturday’s start with an opportunity to get back on track. His previous three starts were not so good. Specifically, 1-1 with a 6.05 ERA in 19 1/3 innings. It was also a chance to push the New York Mets back in the win column, who had lost two games in a row. Severino was magnificent throughout, dominating the Miami Marlins’ lineup from start to finish.

Early on, neither team could find a way to execute with a runner in scoring position. The Mets got on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI fielder’s choice from Francisco Alvarez. In the bottom of the inning, the Marlins threatened. Severino was up against runners on first and third with two outs, but was able to strike out Xavier Edwards with a 98 mph fastball on the outside corner.

The right-hander had a quick and easy 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, however things would get tricky in the sixth. Severino hit Jake Burger and two batters later, Otto López drew a walk. After a wild pitch, the Marlins had runners on first and second with two outs. In a spot where a strikeout was an ideal outcome, he got one. Severino reached back and got Nick Gordon with another 98 mph fastball, this one being just above the top of the zone.

“Being on the same page with {Francisco Álvarez] Alvy, commanding the zone, making good pitches in big situations, that was the key today. I was feeling really good,” Severino said. One major positive to takeaway from his performance? The strikeout total. Severino had seven strikeouts against the Marlins, the same amount he had in his last two starts combined. A great sign moving forward.

Severino wasn’t the only Mets pitcher who had a strong performance on Saturday. José Buttó worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh, striking out Bryan De La Cruz to end the inning. The Marlins got back to back singles off of Dedniel Núñez in the eighth, but he avoided damage with a strikeout of Gordon. Edwin Díaz, who had not thrown in eight days, was given a one-run lead going into the ninth. He was sharp and efficient, setting the Marlins down in order to earn his 11th save of the season.

The Mets’ bullpen has been a point of concern for most of this season. Working through that has been a struggle for manager Carlos Mendoza, but right now, it appears he has three guys he can rely on.

Buttó has yet to allow a run in 8 2/3 innings as a reliever. Over his last 11 appearances, Núñez has pitched to a 1.98 ERA. Díaz has not allowed a run since May 25 against the San Francisco Giants, lowering his ERA from 5.40 to 3.90 during that stretch.

The Mets still need another bullpen piece, probably a left-hander. But with Buttó coming into his own, the team should feel a bit more comfortable with those three on the mound at the end of games.

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