In an outing in which he lost the lead, Jose Butto might have won a bit more trust within the Mets.
The starter turned reliever found another way to prove himself in a strange and eventful eighth inning in which he allowed the game-tying run but nothing more while fighting both a strong Orioles lineup and an inconsistent strike zone during a 4-3 Mets win at Citi Field on Wednesday.
“I thought he did a hell of a job,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Butto, who pitched for a second time on one day of rest and more battled than dominated.
The righty, who arguably has been the club’s best reliever since the transition, entered with a one-run lead and Colton Cowser on first base.
Ramon Urias worked a full count before staring at a changeup that was closer to the middle of the plate than the edge.
Catcher Luis Torrens caught the pitch and did not have time to properly frame it, instead rising and throwing to second, where Jose Iglesias slap-tagged a stealing Cowser for what looked to be a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play.
But home-plate umpire Marvin Hudson had called the strike a ball, and thus a two-out, no-one-on-base scenario became a two-on, no-out jam.
“In real time, we thought the pitch was pretty close, so we’re looking at two-out, nobody on base,” said Mendoza, who was not alone in his opinion.
Butto bounced back — but not right away.
He walked Jackson Holliday to load the bases without an out before the tide (and the calls) turned.
He needed just four pitches — one of which was clearly off the plate but called a strike — to strike out pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn, who then was ejected for arguing.
All-Star Adley Rutschman lofted a fly ball to left field that Brandon Nimmo caught, becoming a sacrifice fly that tied the game.
And after falling behind 3-1 to Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore’s best hitter, Butto worked his way back in the count.
Henderson fouled off three pitches before popping up a changeup to Mark Vientos to escape.
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“That’s why he’s been such a big part of that bullpen — his ability to slow the game down,” Mendoza said of Butto, who was impressive in longer relief outings and is now showing something in shorter bursts. “His ability to execute pitches.
“For him to finish that inning against [Henderson], not trying to be too fine … it was pretty impressive. It could have gotten out of hand there, and he found a way.”
Butto’s strong work, along with Edwin Diaz’s strong next inning, allowed the Mets a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, when Jesse Winker’s home run clinched a 4-3 win at Citi Field.
“Huge outing for him,” Mendoza said of Butto.
