Taijuan Walker was an All-Star after a stellar first half, but he has been less than stellar since, posting a 12.00 ERA and lasting just 15 innings over four starts – the latest seeing him allow four runs over 5 2/3 innings in a loss Tuesday night in Miami.
Mets manager Luis Rojas was asked when he joined WFAN's Carton & Roberts Wednesday if he thinks Walker may have hit a wall, but he's not so sure.
"I don't think so. I've had several conversations with him, and he feels good and his arm is good. His stuff changed a little bit post-break, but his four-seamer has helped him play well, and I think he's been back the last two outings," Rojas said.
The skipper thinks pitch selection has been the issue the last two starts, as opposed to his execution issues in the first two after the break (including his one-third of an inning clunker in Pittsburgh), but he's confident Walker will get through the struggles.
One other thing he wasn't surprised by? Walker batting lefty on Tuesday night, which he said was by design, even though the hurler ended up coming up righty later in the game.
"I think two starts ago, he took a swing and felt a pinch in his left shoulder. He felt it again on a line drive he tried to grab last start, so we talked about it between starts, and he said he was going to swing lefty because he wasn't comfortable batting righty," Rojas said. "He switched to right-handed in his second at-bat because it was a bunt situation and he feels more comfortable with his bunting righty."
The Mets' lead in the NL East is down to 1.5 games after that loss, but with two months left to go, Rojas knows there's plenty of time left and a lot more noise that will have to be drowned out, and doesn't feel like the Mets are losing control of their season at all.
"I respect what everyone is saying or wants to say in the baseball world – that's going to happen. Our job is to look at the task at hand. We're in Miami playing the Marlins, and we're focused on that and nothing more," Rojas said. "We don't just show up thinking we're the better team, we show up prepared regardless of who the opponent is. I want the guys to prepare their best the whole time. Our goal is to win the World Series, and we believe it. We're going through some adversity, but we've done that all year, so this is nothing new."
A few other notes from Rojas' appearance on Carton & Roberts:
-Rojas' thoughts on the trade deadline: "I was just waiting. You've seen how we operate and how much we trust our front office. We needed a shortstop and we went out and got a really good player in Javy Baez. When Francisco Lindor comes back we might have an incredible middle of the infield. We upgraded with an all-star caliber player who has an outstanding presence."
-Rojas on whether that deal will electrify the team like Yoenis Cespedes did in 2015: "The team is electrified. You look at some results, some performances don't show it, but the guys are excited to have this guy here. They know how good he is. We feel very good that he's here, and feel we're a better team. Guys are rounding into their real form and working hard to get going."
-Rojas on what's up with Michael Conforto: "Right now, it's confidence. I think he found something and he's being aggressive with it. There's been a mix of things throughout the season that got in the way. Mechanics is one, and at the plate he was just thinking too much, trying not to do things instead of trying to do things. But he's working through it."
-And finally, Rojas on his ejection Tuesday: "I was pissed off. It built up and I didn't agree with some calls, and that happens. I thought the pitch to Alfaro 3-1 was a strike, and I had that in the back in my head, and they called a pitch up above the zone to Nimmo a strike. When I thought he was expanding up and down to Nimmo, it built up on me."
Follow WFAN's afternoon team on Twitter: @CartonRoberts, @EvanRobertsWFAN, @TommyLugauer, and @CMacWFAN
