Blackburn Battles Through Tough Start in Atlanta

Being an edge-of-the-rotation pitcher is no easy task.

Constantly toggling between the bullpen and starting rotation can wreak havoc on a pitcher’s rhythm. However, as an edge-of-rotation pitcher, it becomes all the more vital to perform when given chances.

Unfortunately for Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn, his chance on Wednesday night in Atlanta got off to a rocky start. On the very first pitch of the game, Ronald Acuña Jr. jumped on a fastball and launched it deep to center for a leadoff home run. Clearly rattled, Blackburn gave up a line-drive single, then walked Austin Riley to put two runners on with nobody out.

He managed to get Matt Olson to ground out, but the runners advanced. Then, things unraveled further, but not entirely on Blackburn’s shoulders. Mets catcher Luis Torrens made a rare mistake, touching a live foul ball with his catcher’s mask, which brought in a run and advanced another runner to third.

A sacrifice fly later, the Braves had a quick 3-0 lead. They’d tack on two more over the course of the game and cruise to a 5-0 win.

But credit where it’s due, Blackburn settled down. Despite the rocky first, he recovered to maximize his 75-pitch limit, lasting 3 2/3 innings and leaving the game with the score still 3-0. One of his inherited runners would later score on a wild pitch, leaving him charged with four earned runs, but considering how the outing began, it could’ve been much worse.

“I felt like early on I was kind of fighting myself a little bit,” Blackburn said after the game.

Blackburn’s pitch usage was way off from his average, signaling that he was not feeling confident in his slider. Blackburn’s slider, normally a go-to offering, was nearly abandoned, while his curveball usage spiked to nearly 30%, more than triple his season average. 

Still, with the Mets’ rotation battered by injuries and Frankie Montas struggling in rehab, Blackburn could be in line for more starts. Beneath the surface, there’s reason for optimism: his walk rate, barrel percentage, and hard-hit rate all rank among the league’s best. Meanwhile, his expected ERA is roughly half of his actual ERA.

If he can start to align his results with the underlying numbers, Blackburn could prove a useful tool for the Mets’ pitching depth.

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