Ryan Lambert called himself a “simple-minded guy.” He eats protein, throws heat and prefers not thinking — about his mechanics or much else — while on the mound, on-brand for a flamethrowing reliever who out-stuffs rather than outfoxes hitters.
But this season, Lambert had far too much time to ponder.
He struggled. He suffered a forearm strain in June. He returned by the end of the month, but his forearm kept bothering him, and he was shelved again by mid-July for another two months. The Mets righty’s ascent had stalled. He couldn’t work on his game, but maybe he could work on himself and his one-track mind.
“It felt like the world was ending when I got hurt, and I don’t think that’s a good way to be,” Lambert said over the phone recently. “… I’d always been able to pitch, and this was my first major injury. So I kind of took it mentally hard.
