Lugo Looks Sharp As The Mets Beat The Phils By Rich Coutinho Met Beat reporter @ The New York Extra.com

When injuries and opt outs piled up forcing Met starting pitchers to the sidelines I wondered out loud on this site why Luis Rojas was resisting going to Seth Lugo. I know he was considered to be valuable in the Met bullpen but his stuff is so diverse I always thought he would be a better fit in a rotation that kept losing arms.

And a night like last night really proved my point. Lugo did not have his best stuff but the depth and diversity of his pitches helped him get through 5 innings of 1 run ball giving the Mets a much needed over a Philly team that had beat the Mets 4 straight time this season before Lugo shut the door on that streak.

We should never forget the contributions Lugo gave the Mets back in 2016 as a starting pitching being the prime non-Cespedes reason the Mets got to the playoffs. He has an assortment of fast balls coupled with a curve whose spin rate is off the charts. And if I were ranking the current Met rotation in order of trust that list would begin with Jacob deGrom and Seth Lugo in that order followed by David Peterson who deserves his props as well. Ad clearly that leaves Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha as no more than my 4th and 5th options in the rotation.

And on this night the Mets desperately needed what Lugo gave them as time is running out and they need the sense of urgency he brought to the mound for this game. I know the Met bullpen can be ugly to watch without Lugo residing in it but he is just too valuable in the rotation right now every fifth day.

I just hope by season’s end Luis Rojas will not be forced to lament why it tool him so long to put Lugo in the rotation.