With Tyler Clippard struggling so mightily as of late, the question whether Terry Collins and the New York Mets can count on him remains.
By David Hong
New York Mets reliever Tyler Clippard was one of their key acquisitions at the end of July which turned the season around. He was brought in the be the Mets eighth-inning setup man to closer Jeurys Familia.
During August he was the reliever the Mets thought he would be. He had an ERA under 1.00 and was the setup man the Mets desperately needed.
However, in September Clippard has struggled. His ERA in this month is above 6.00 and has given up four home runs this month. He’s blown two games in the eighth inning this month, both on home runs. He missed the Subway Series this past weekend with a sore back. He came back in this current series with the Atlanta Braves at Citifield.
On Tuesday, however, he entered in the ninth inning with the Mets trailing 4-2 and gave up a two-run double to Garcia that widened the Mets deficit to 6-2, wiping out any hope of the Mets coming back in the bottom ninth.
If Clippard continues to struggle towards the remainder of the regular season manager Terry Collins has a huge decision to make in their bullpen if the Mets play in the playoffs. One thing he can do is move Addison Reed into the eighth-inning role. Reed, unlike Clippard, has been on a roll since coming to the Mets.
Even if the Mets make bullpen changes, one thing is certain: Clippard must do well in order for the Mets to make noise in October since he was brought in to be a key piece in the Mets bullpen.
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