New York Mets News: Jerry Blevins Out For Remainder Of The Season
The New York Mets bullpen has been dealt another blow as recovering left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins has re-injured his throwing arm and will likely miss the rest of the season, as announced by the team.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that Blevins’ injury was a freak accident as he slipped on a curb, causing him to re-fracture his arm.
#Mets said Blevins slipped while stepping off a curb and re-fractured distal radius bone in his left arm. Surgery likely next week
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 6, 2015
Blevins, 31, was acquired by the Mets in exchange for outfielder Matt den Dekker just prior to the 2015 season. But after getting off to a strong start, Blevins was hit in the left arm by a Dee Gordon line drive in late-April, causing a forearm fracture. He has been on the shelf ever since.
Alongside fellow left-handed reliever Alex Torres, Blevins was acquired to help neutralize left-handed batters.
In seven appearances this year, Blevins did not surrender an earned run through five innings of work. It was a step in the right direction for Blevins, as he was coming off a disappointing season with the Washington Nationals in 2014. He pitched to a 4.87 ERA through 57-and-one-third innings in our nations capital. However, he’s been one of the more dependable southpaws in baseball the last five years.
Since 2010, Blevins has pitched to a 3.37 ERA while striking out batters at a 8.4 K/9 rate through 264-and-two-thirds innings. More importantly, the former longtime Oakland Athletic has kept left-handed batters to a measly.206 batting average during his career.
He expressed his disappointment over having his season cut short on Twitter.
Can’t explain my disappointment & frustration about not putting on a Mets uniform again this year. I’ll be back stronger. Let’s Go Mets.
— Jerry Blevins (@JerryBlevins_13) August 6, 2015
Trying to find a weapon to get out left-handed batters, the Mets acquired Eric O’Flaherty from Blevins’ former team, the Athletics. However, he played a key role in the team nearly blowing an 8-0 lead on Wednesday. In just two-thirds of an inning, O’Flaherty allowed four hits and four earned runs in his Mets’ debut.
Despite New York getting the win, it was clear that the bullpen is still a weakness and that perhaps O’Flaherty is not the answer. That is why the Mets were eager to get Blevins back at some point. Now, they will have to either address their bullpen issues from within, scour the waiver wire for upgrades, or rely heavily on Sean Gilmartin.
[Image by Elsa/Getty Images]
