Mets' Carlos Mendoza gets honest about starter's spring training struggles

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about the tough start Paul Blackburn had during Sunday's spring training game.

Feb 19, 2025; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) looks on during a spring training workout at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With the relatively long term injuries that New York Mets starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas have already suffered to this point in spring training, the rest of the rotation will need to step up in a major way over the next few months.

Some of the starting pitchers that New York will need to lean on are Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Paul Blackburn. While all of these pitchers come with questions marks, perhaps none more so than Blackburn, who only made five starts with the Mets after getting traded from the Athletics at the trade deadline before missing the rest of the season due to a hand contusion and a spinal leak, which required surgery in October.

Despite that concerning-sounding injury, Blackburn is back to a clean bill of health in 2025. He started the Mets' March 2 spring training game against the Boston Red Sox and conceded four runs on three hits and two walks over just 0.1 inning pitched in the first inning. He did, however, return in the second inning and pitch a clean frame.

The final line for Paul Blackburn in today's spring training outing pic.twitter.com/aOx0KZN1QM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 2, 2025

While this certainly wasn't Blackburn's best outing in terms of results, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained why results weren't on his mind with Blackburn on the bump Sunday.

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"Obviously, they got him in the first inning where he got behind on hitters," Mendoza said, per an X post from SNY. "Especially locating the two-seam, which is a pitch that he's working on right now. When you're facing a lineup like that, and you're getting behind in counts, they're going to make you pay. But it was good to see him go back out there for a second inning, second up, and make some adjustments, and he was a lot better.

"So good step for him," Mendoza continued. "Coming off of, we all know, a freak injury. And the fact that he's out there competing, we're not worried about results right now. It's more about getting him feeling good physically and then working on his pitches. But overall, good."

"The fact that he's out there competing, we're not worried about results right now. It's more about getting him feeling good physically and then working on his pitches."

Carlos Mendoza talks about Paul Blackburn's outing today: pic.twitter.com/G9sur2ZQjm

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 2, 2025

It will be interesting to see how Blackburn looks in his second spring training outing.