Mets' bullpen falters as Mickey Callaway can't trust most of his options

PHOENIX – The seeds for the Mets' 6-5 loss in 11 innings to the Diamondbacks on Saturday that featured the bullpen blowing a four-run, eighth-inning lead, were laid Monday in Los Angeles in the first game of this seven-game road trip.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway turned over a 3-2 lead to his “B” relievers in the sixth inning that night, and the lead evaporated after two batters.

The Dodgers ultimately put up a six spot that inning.

Since then, Callaway has only trusted his “A” relievers. Even with four and five-run leads, he’s asking Jeurys Familia, Robert Gsellman and Edwin Diaz to get outs.

The result is a group of overtaxed relievers who appear to be on fumes.

Familia allowed three runs in the eighth inning Saturday, and Gsellman, pitching for the tenth time in 17 days, allowed a game-tying two-run blast to Adam Jones in the inning.

Tyler Bashlor eventually allowed a walk-off RBI single to Tim Locastro.

“We got to be better than this,” Callaway said.

Saturday’s battle marked the Mets' 19th game in 19 days, and the last week or so has revealed how Callaway simply does not have any faith in any relievers except for his top guys.

He rode Tyler Bashlor during a mini hot streak, but Bashlor has cooled off and is no longer in the circle of trust. Drew Gagnon has faded these last few outings too. Wilmer Font and Hector Santiago seem reserved for just multi-inning stints or if others are unavailable.

It’s certainly understandable as to why Callaway isn't giving certain relievers chances, but the baseball season is a 162-game marathon. A manager can’t manage like each game is a must win. Sometimes, you have to ask other guys to step up and let others recover.

Three times in the last five days Familia, Gsellman or Diaz has entered with a lead of at least four runs. The Mets have lost two of those three games.

“Everybody has to do their job at all times or what you put together doesn’t work,” Callaway said. “We’ll be diligent about trying to get guys where they need to be.”

Callaway isn’t at fault for Saturday’s loss since, as previously noted, there is such a dearth of reliable options that he feels he can only trust three guys.

Not having Seth Lugo has hurt the team, but the bullpen assembled by Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is simply not good enough.

Signing Familia to a three-run, $30-million deal has backfired thus far with the former closer owning a 6.56 ERA.

The problem is that in not being willing to use any “b” reliever in a high-leverage situation, it leads to a cumulative effect in which the main guys get taxed.

Gsellman has thrown 10.2 innings and 188 pitches in the last 17 games. Familia has appeared 10 times in 18 days, and Diaz has pitched nine times in 15 days.

Those pitchers will take the ball, but they’re not at their best when used that much.

“I’m feeling fine. If I wasn’t feeling fine, they’d know,” Gsellman said. “When they put me on the mound, I got to do the job. Didn’t get the job done.”

Saturday’s game fell apart after the Mets had to pull Jacob deGrom prematurely due to a hip cramp. DeGrom cruised through the first six innings before feeling his hip tighten when he bent down while watching a play.

Callaway and trainer Brian Chicklo attended to deGrom, and they let him stay in the game after throwing a few warm-up pitches.

He then allowed a double to Nick Ahmed to bring the tying run to the plate in a 4-1 game, and Callaway ended deGrom’s day after 89 pitches.

He allowed just the one run in 6.2 innings, outdueling Zack Greinke, who allowed four runs in four ineffective innings.

“I said I was fine,” deGrom said. “I wish I could have stayed out there. I was frustrated. It just cramped up for a second. …It’s a tough loss for us and I wish I could’ve stayed out there.”

Familia entered first after two days off and struck out Alex Avila, but he imploded in the eighth, allowing the first three batters to reach to make it a 5-3 game.

Callaway had hoped not to use Gsellman, but had him get loose rather quickly, and inserted him in for the fourth time in five days. Gsellman threw a slider that caught too much of the zone, and Adam Jones hit it out to left-center to tie the game.

The Mets’ bullpen has blown nine leads in the last 13 games.

Diaz registered four outs for the first time as a Met to get the game to the 11th inning, but Bashlor allowed a leadoff double that came around to score.

Locastro hit a long single to center to win it since the Mets were using five infielders.

“We’re fine. We’re positive. We got each other’s backs,” Gsellman said. “Right now, it’s just a couple of bad games. We’re going to pick it up.”

The Mets have one more game left on this road trip, and with a 2-4 record, there’s quite a perception battle brewing for the series finale.

A win leaves them at 3-4 on the west coast trip and just one game under .500. Not ideal, but not horrible. A 2-5 trip, though, will have them three under and negate last week’s momentum when they went 6-1 against the Nationals and Tigers.

The team has played in tight games for weeks now, and Sunday’s game may be no different. Diaz and Lugo are available, and Gsellman and Familia could be off.

Perhaps an unheralded reliever could get a shot.

Or, Callaway may just continue to only use those in his circle of trust.

“Somebody has to get outs in the eighth and we’re not getting it done at times,” Callaway said. “Sometimes people got to step up and get an out, and we didn’t get it done.”