Adrian Houser stepped up when Mets needed him most in return to bullpen
Just a day after he found out he lost his spot in the starting rotation and was being moved back to the bullpen, Adrian Houser stepped up when the Mets needed it the most.
After Sean Manaea lasted just five innings in his start against the Giants, the right-hander came on and kept New York in the game before they rallied for the improbable walk-off win in the ninth.
“We needed that and he needed that,” Carlos Mendoza said. “For him to go four strong innings and for us to finish that game like that, it was important. He was really solid today, it was a really good outing.”
It looked like Houser was going to start his afternoon on a rough note, but Harrison Bader made a tremendous leaping catch at the fence to rob Matt Chapman of a leadoff homer on the first pitch in the sixth.
“That was huge,” the righty said. “That’s a big play, especially because it was the first pitch in the inning and the first pitch of the outing. It’s a game-changer for sure, really gets the confidence going.”
Houser went on to allow just one run on two hits while walking one and striking out two over four innings of work to earn his first win in a Mets uniform.
“With the amount of guys we used yesterday I had a feeling we'd need some length,” he said. “I just wanted to go out and eat as many innings as possible and keep the score as close as possible.”
Things haven’t quite gone the veteran’s way since being traded to the Big Apple along with Tyrone Taylor in an offseason deal with the Brewers.
Houser’s been bumped out of the starting rotation in an attempt to get things going twice after pitching to a brutal 8.55 ERA and 1.78 WHIP while walking 21 batters over his first seven starts in orange and blue.
While he still views himself as a starter, the 31-year-old says he's ready and willing to do whatever he can to help the team moving forward.
“I want to help this team as much as I can, no matter what,” he said. “I still think I’m a starter at the end of the day, but as much as I can help this team out, that’s what I want to do. Go out there and get outs, win ballgames, at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.”
