Why is Edwin Diaz a different pitcher in save vs. non-save situations for the Mets?
WASHINGTON  The greatest predictor of Edwin Diazs success in any given appearance this season has been not his strikeout rate or slider control or the weather or his catcher or the opponent or the amount of sleep he got the night before. What has mattered is the score when he enters the game. Entering play this week, Diaz has a 0.50 ERA and 0.61 WHIP in 17 save situations, utterly dominant and every bit the closer former Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen thought he was getting. But in 14 non-save situations  when the Mets were losing, tied or ahead by four or more runs  Diaz has been a bona fide liability, posting a 6.39 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. "Basically no. I just try to do my job," Diaz said on Monday at Nationals Park. "I got the same mentality when I come to save the game or come to a no-save situation. Im just trying to do my job, get the outs." Subscribe to Newsdays sports newsletter Receive stories, photos and videos about your favorite New York teams plus national sports news and events. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner added: "I make nothing of that." Those drastic splits might cost Diaz an All-Star appearance, too. His 2.92 ERA ranks 32nd among qualified National League relievers. Fortunately for the Mets, Diazs save situations matter much more than the non-save situations. He has blown just one save all season, on June 1 against the Diamondbacks, and has been a big reason the Mets have been alone in first place in the NL East for seven weeks. "Im pretty happy about what Im doing right now," Diaz said. This is an extreme version of a problem Diaz has only dabbled with previously. In three seasons with the Mets, he has a 3.88 ERA in save spots, 4.18 ERA in other appearances. In his six-season career, those numbers are 2.70 and 3.94. So this has not been a significant long-term hangup for Diaz. Hefner looks at it as pretty much a fluke over, so far, almost half of a season. "If you dont execute or you hit a guy and you walk a guy, youre going to give up runs," Hefner said. "It just happens to be that theyre in non-save situations. I just dont buy into it that much." Some closers say that the adrenaline of a save situation  game on the line, nobody warming up in the bullpen, your team about to win or lose thanks to you  is such that it is hard to bring the same energy in a non-save situation. Diaz said that "I feel the same every time." But Hefner allowed that perhaps the adrenaline factor is part of it for Diaz, while reiterating he doesnt believe it matters too much either way. "That could be something," Hefner said. "I dont know. Relievers are funny. Theres a reason why theyre a reliever. Theyre going to have execution problems at times. And problems isnt the right word. Execution is going to come and go at times. And it may be that theyre not quite as locked in, theyre a little more erratic. Maybe you could tease that out. But hes really good." If Diaz is going to have a handful of bad outings, the Mets would rather they happen in non-save situations anyway. "For sure," Hefner said. "Even in save situations, hes not going to be perfect. Hes going to give up a run. And I know he hasnt given up a home run and all this other stuff. But thats not sustainable for any pitcher. "He is elite. He has the stuff to go a whole year without giving up a home run, but we cant expect that. So when it does happen, hell still be good. Hell still be a really good pitcher."