Lucas Duda, the quiet Met, provided the exclamation points with two home runs, but Jenrry Mejia made quite a statement in his start against the Reds Friday night at a frigid and rainy Citi Field.
That’s the way to make the most of this Mets April tryout camp.
In some ways, Mejia’s start was really the start of the Young Arms Era. He did not disappoint, setting a career high with eight strikeouts as he allowed one run over six innings in the 4-3 victory, the Mets’ first win of the year (just 89 to go) after opening with three losses.
On a night the Yankees lost Mark Teixeira to a strained hamstring — perhaps they might have an interest in Ike Davis — the Mets may have found their first baseman and a cog in their rotation.
“Duda did it with two home runs,’’ Mejia said of the win.
Yes he did, by finally attacking early in the count, but Mejia attacked as well to earn the win.
All the attention this spring was on Noah Syndergaard, but Mejia is the wild card. If he does well in a starting role that will mean so much to the Mets.
Scouts like Mejia — a lot.
“His cutter has amazing movement,’’ one scout told The Post, and then compared Mejia’s cutter to the cutter of all cutters. “It moves like Mo’s.’’
That would be Mariano Rivera.
That cutter is Mejia’s natural fastball and it’s quite a weapon.
“Every fastball I throw, it cuts,’’ said Mejia, who threw 101 pitches.
Of course, that begs the question: Do the Mets have a closer right under their noses in Mejia? In fact, two scouts were debating during the game where he is best suited, bullpen or starter.
Mejia wants to be a starter.
“I proved I can start,’’ said Mejia, who surrendered one run despite walking five and giving up four hits.
It was 39 degrees and rainy. “I couldn’t feel my fingers sometimes,’’ Mejia said.
Mejia, 24, had some fascinating games in an injury-troubled 2013 season. In his season debut on July 26 at Washington he struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, becoming the youngest Mets pitcher to throw seven shutout innings with no walks and at least seven strikeouts since Jason Isringhausen threw a shutout against the Marlins on June 9, 1996.
Over his last six starts, Mejia is 2-2 with a 2.16 ERA.
“The conditions were brutal,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “Everybody has always raved about his stuff, one of the big things is he going to throw enough strikes, tonight he got us deep into the game. When you can go through [Joey] Votto and [Jay] Bruce and not get a lot of damage done, you’ve had a pretty good game.’’
Mejia had surgery at the end of August to remove bone spurs in his right elbow and the wear and tear of bullpen work might be too much for him.
The Mets were swept away by the Nationals, embarrassed in the opening series, so they needed Mejia to step up Friday and he did just that.
“A lot of people in this organization thought he was going to be a relief pitcher,’’ Collins said. “That’s how he made the club. Back at that time, being a young kid, he said, ‘OK, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.’ As he got into it, he wanted to be a starting pitcher.’’
Mejia is getting his wish at the start of the season. Another question the Mets need answered.
Mejia showed toughness as well. He was drilled on the right foot by a one-hopper off the bat of Brandon Phillips with one out in the third and stayed in the game. He battled through an error by second baseman Daniel Murphy in the sixth that put runners on first and second with not out. Mejia retired the next three batters to get out of the jam, mixing in his curve ball and changeup.
“I’m a starter now,’’ he said.
Indeed.