Five weeks into his Mets tenure, and Ryan Helsley still cannot figure it out.
The former St. Louis Cardinals shutdown closer, who was acquired by New York at the trade deadline to be Edwin Diaz’s set-up man, continued his miserable stint with his new club on Wednesday afternoon when he yielded a three-run home run to Kerry Carpenter in the seventh inning of the Mets’ 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
In 14 appearances with the Mets (11 innings), Helsley has allowed 14 runs, which translates to an 11.45 ERA.
At first, it was believed that the veteran right-hander was tipping his pitches, but even after that was seemingly addressed, the issues continue.
“Yeah, I mean that’s the frustrating part here,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “This is a guy, you look up and [he’s throwing 102 mph] and they continue to take some really good swings. Then the way they’re taking the breaking ball, too. And I don’t think it’s tipping-related; he’s made some adjustments.
“Talking to [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner], how do we help this guy? Because right now we’re not doing it. When you got that type of stuff and they keep hitting it, something’s going on here.”
The next logical problem could be as simple as an inability to locate his pitches properly. There are no mechanical issues with Helsley’s stuff, and the velocity on his fastball remains toward the very top of Major League Baseball.
But the 100 mph fastball that Carpenter was able to turn on and crush into the right-field seats was low and inside. That’s a pitch that needs to be at the very top or even above the zone.
“I think for me, that’s the biggest thing, his ability to elevate the fastball,” Mendoza continued. “We saw it again, that homer, there is a fastball in the power zone for the lefties. When he’s effective, when he’s at his best, he’s able to elevate the fastball and right now we’re not doing that.”
Helsley himself remains mystified, saying that it “feels like guys are swinging at 100 like it’s 91 right now.”
“When you feel like you got to be perfect out there, it’s not a good thing,” he said. “Just trying to get back to the basics and start at square one. Try to get back to form, be myself, and help the team win.”
The Mets can’t necessarily wait for Helsley’s rest, though. Just three weeks remain in the regular season, and they are nursing a four-game lead over the San Francisco Giants and a five-game advantage over the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
They head to Cincinnati to face the Reds for a vital three-game set beginning Friday.
