Mets Closer Edwin Diaz Rejoins Team For Crucial Series In Philadelphia

With the Mets fighting to hang on to first-place in the NL East, all hands will be on deck for their series in Philadelphia this weekend.

And luckily, the Mets will be getting a big piece of their bullpen back on Friday night, ahead of their first matchup with the Phillies.

Prior to the game, closer Edwin Diaz rejoined the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Diaz had been on paternity leave for the last two games, as his wife gave birth to their son.

In Diaz's absence, Trevor May picked up his fourth save of the season on Wednesday in a 5-3 win over the Marlins.

The Mets officially optioned right-handed pitcher Jake Reed to Syracuse in order to make room for Diaz.

For the Mets, this is a critical series for them, as the Phillies are just a half game back in the NL East. And they could certainly use all the help they can get.

Now, with their closer back in the mix, Diaz brings a lockdown presence in the ninth inning with 23 saves and 63 strikeouts out of the Mets' bullpen this season.

While Friday night's series opener is a must-win for the Mets, manager Luis Rojas says it hasn't made his team change their normal approach, which is to treat every game as if it is the most important one.

Yesterday's disappointing loss to the Marlins was also not the lowest that Rojas has seen his team this year. This occurred as a result of their soul crushing loss on a walk-off grand slam suffered in Pittsburgh in the second game after the All-Star break.

Instead, Rojas says the players stayed neutral and immediately shifted their focus to Philly, given how much is at stake in this series.

In order for the Mets to turn things around, their offense must wake up and get back to having a "fastball mentality."

Their struggles this season against fastballs is a big reason why Rojas believes the offense has yet to get it going.

However, they will at least be playing in a hitter's park in Philadelphia, which typically means their numbers will rise, particularly in the long ball and run scoring department.

With first-place on the line, Rojas says the Mets can't be thinking about those outside forces, so that they are able to stay focused on the task at hand.

"That can't get in our head," said Rojas on Friday afternoon prior to the Mets' series in Philadelphia. "That's outside of what we need to do here, and we need to focus on the task at hand....and that's winning."

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