Carlos Carrasco’s gas tank might be borderline on “E” just as the Mets are formulating postseason roster plans.
The veteran right-hander has amassed by far his most innings since 2018 and his last three starts — including Tuesday’s in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Nationals — have hardly been scintillating.
On this day, Carrasco was picked up by Brandon Nimmo and the bullpen in his team’s 4-2 victory at Citi Field that kept the Mets’ slim NL East title chances alive. The Braves played a later game in Miami within a victory of clinching their fifth straight division title. A Mets loss in their final two games would also clinch the division for Atlanta.
The Game 1 victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Mets, who were swept in Atlanta over the weekend before Monday’s game was rained out. Buck Showalter was keeping his options open for Wednesday’s regular-season finale, with Jacob deGrom a possibility to pitch if the game had meaning to the Mets. The risk would be starting deGrom and then ending up in the best-of-three wild-card round beginning Friday, precluding the ace from pitching on full rest (if at all) in the series.
Nimmo knocked in three runs and Jeff McNeil’s pursuit of the batting title remained strong with a 2-for-3 performance that raised his average to .328, three points ahead of Freddie Freeman for the NL lead. Freeman played a later game against Colorado.
In a third straight shortened start, Carrasco lasted only four-plus innings, departing at 73 pitches after allowing a two-run homer in the fifth to Riley Adams that pulled the Nationals within 4-2.
Carrasco lasted only three innings against the Marlins last week, which followed a start in Milwaukee in which he was removed after four. His slippage has occurred as Taijuan Walker is showing late-season improvement, perhaps simplifying the equation for team brass on which pitcher would best fit a NLDS rotation behind Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt.
For the season, Carrasco has pitched 152 innings. Last season he pitched only 53 ²/₃ innings after missing the first four months with a hamstring injury. He also pitched fewer than 100 innings in each of 2019 (when he fought cancer) and 2020 (a pandemic-shortened season).
Drew Smith, David Peterson, Adam Ottavino and Edwin Diaz combined to pitch the final five innings scoreless. Diaz recorded the final four outs and earned his 32nd save in 35 chances.
Nimmo delivered a two-run double in the second against Cory Abbott that gave the Mets their first runs. Mark Canha was hit by a career-high 28th pitch in the inning and reached second on a passed ball before Tomas Nido singled and Nimmo brought in both runners.
Nimmo led off the fourth with his 15th homer of the season. But the Nationals cut the Mets’ four-run lead in half in the bottom of the inning on Adams’ blast that ended Carrasco’s day.
