Mets' closer Edwin Diaz blows it in Saturday's loss to Braves

The Mets fell to the Braves in 10 innings on Saturday by a score of 5-3 (box score). The outcome means that both NL East contenders are 1-1 on the young season, and in the Mets' case that .500 record comes despite the fact that their rotation has yet to allow a run in 2020. The New York offense has struggled across two games, and on Saturday closer Edwin Diaz called to mind his struggles of 2019. 

Diaz came to the Mets from the Mariners as part of the Robinson Cano trade with the Mariners. At the time of the deal, he was an accomplished young closer with an uncommonly bright future. In his first season with the Mets, he struck out an impressive 99 batters in 58 innings, but over that same span he also allowed 36 runs and 15 home runs -- all of those home runs in the ninth inning. The Mets wound up winning 86 games, and it's no exaggeration to say they probably would've made the postseason if Diaz and the bullpen had fared better. 

In the Mets' 2020 opener, Diaz struck out a pair in picking up the save, and on Saturday he recorded the first two outs before Braves free agent addition Marcell Ozuna came to the plate with no on one and the Mets clinging to a 2-1 lead. The Mets had a 96.2 percent chance of winning the game when Diaz delivered a full-count fastball to Ozuna: 

First off, that's not a bad pitch by Diaz. That's 97 mph on the low, outside corner, but Ozuna just muscled it out the opposite way. At the very least, Diaz didn't groove it. 

The Braves went on to plate three in the 10th, in part because William Contreras, younger brother of Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, laced an RBI double on the first he saw in the majors: 

As for Diaz, the prevailing reality is that he's now allowed 16 home runs in 60 innings with the Mets. A high-leverage reliever simply can't permit the long ball to such an extent and keep his job (and roster spot). Diaz is still just 26, and his fastball-slider combo still checks all the boxes in terms of stuff. The Mets, however, badly need him to reign in the 'gopheritis' if they're going to be relevant in the tough NL East this season.