QUEENS, NY — Frankie Montas admitted that the writing was on the wall for his demotion to the Mets’ bullpen.
The veteran starting pitcher, in the first year of his two-year, $34 million deal, owned a 6.68 ERA before manager Carlos Mendoza used an opener for his most recent appearance on Saturday in Milwaukee against the Brewers. Upon his entry into the second inning, he allowed three runs on three hits in three innings — uninspiring enough to trigger his demotion.
“Carlos hammered it out really good,” Montas said on Thursday ahead of the Mets’ series finale against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. “He let me know ahead of time so I can get myself prepared and also allow myself to get my mind prepared.I have a lot of respect for Carlos. If he thinks that’s the best way I can help, then I’m OK with it.”
A 10-year veteran, Montas has only been a starter, meaning this is brand-new territory for him.
“I told him I consider myself as a starter, but in the meantime, I feel like if that’s the way I can help this team, and contribute to get a win, I’m definitely willing to do it. I’m a great competitor. I take a lot of pride in the way I prepare myself for games.
Mendoza hinted that he would serve as a long man out of the pen, the roles Justin Hagenman and Paul Blackburn performed in previous nights.
“When we were talking with him, we said we’ll try our best to give him more time to get loose. But life in the bullpen, things happen fast,” Mendoza said. “As a competitor, as a starter, that’s where he wants to be, but also understands this is where we’re at in the regular season, and every game counts. Right now, his spot is in the bullpen, and whenever we call his name, we’re counting on him. He’s going to play a big role for us up there, and he’ll step up.”
A long man out of the bullpen has become a necessity over the last two months for the Mets, and the role has become a revolving door lately due to overuse. David Peterson has been the only starter in the last 53 games to complete six innings in an appearance.
In the rotation’s previous turn, no starter was able to complete five innings.
“If they say my name, I think I can go out there and get outs,” Montas said. “[I have to work on] the way I’m sequencing my pitches. I haven’t been able to hit my spots the way I wanted… I’m just trying to get better on that.”
