Marcus Stroman
Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman isn’t happy with how his first start went, and he plans to be better next time.

The New York Mets shocked the baseball world at the trade deadline when they acquired Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Expected to be sellers, the team instead decided to add another frontline starter to complement Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler.

Stroman made his Mets debut Saturday night, and while he wasn’t awful, it wasn’t the start he was hoping for. He threw 4.1 innings, giving up three runs, seven hits, and two walks. He was lifted after 92 pitches, partially because he hadn’t started in nine days.

However, Stroman expects more from himself, and he plans to give more next time out. Stroman told reporters that he knows what he needs to do to improve on his performance, per Matt Ehalt of Yahoo Sports.

“Going five is where I should be at least, at the minimum,” Stroman said. “Felt I was a little all over the place, command was a little iffy, but body felt great. Make a few adjustments in my mechanics and I think I’ll be where I need to be for my next one.”

It’s a good sign for the Mets that Stroman felt good physically after 92 pitches, as it means that he shouldn’t be on any more of a pitch count than usual next time out. The Mets managed to win 7-5 behind Wilson Ramos’ six-RBI game (Stroman took a no-decision), and followed it up with a 13-2 drubbing of the same Pittsburgh Pirates team Sunday afternoon.

Stroman had an especially rough first two innings, after sitting for nine days between starts and then for a long time between innings, as Chris Archer also had a laborious first inning. Stroman admitted that it was difficult to go back out for the second, but maintained that he’ll need to be better.

“It’s tough but it’s never an excuse. I would expect much more of myself. Just was a bit wild in the first, I usually command certain pitches, I was falling behind in counts. Definitely make adjustments in my bullpen during the week and be better next time.”

Stroman referenced making adjustments between starts several times, suggesting that he struggled to get a feel for his pitches in his debut. His next chance should come against the Washington Nationals on Friday, as the team is off Thursday, which is when he would normally be lined up to start.

He’ll bring a 3.07 ERA and a 1.256 WHIP into that start, despite his unseemly 6-11 record.

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I'm a student at Binghamton University. I'm a huge fan of the Mets, Rangers, Giants, and Jets, and will be covering them for the site, as well as fantasy hockey, football, and baseball. My twitter is @wmcine