Without Jorge Lopez in the bullpen following the right-hander being designated for assignment — not to mention Edwin Diaz, on the IL with a right shoulder impingement, and Brooks Raley, who is out for the season after undergoing UCL reconstruction on his elbow — an already threadbare Mets relief core is now even thinner.
But the trio of Adrian Houser, Danny Young and Reed Garrett provided a huge assist in Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
They combined to throw four scoreless, hitless innings.
Garrett, who pitched poorly in his previous three outings, picked up the save in the ninth.
“It’s a testament to who we are,’’ Garrett said. “Losing [Diaz] is tough. He’s one of the best in the game, but it’s an opportunity for everyone else.”
That includes Houser, who pitched well in relief again.
With two shutout innings Thursday, Houser has given up just one run over six innings in his past two appearances, both out of the pen.
That came after the right-hander had another ugly start.
“He’s a professional,’’ Mendoza said. “Right now he’s in the pen and getting big outs.”
Young, a lefty, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Lopez’s spot and struck out two in his one inning of work.
Francisco Alvarez began a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, from surgery in April to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, and almost immediately hit an opposite-field homer.
The blast came in his second at-bat in his first game back.
The catcher’s progress has so far gone faster than expected.
He also walked and played five innings behind the plate.
Alvarez said he will wear a splint on his left hand to see how it reacts.
Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez have split time at catcher in Alvarez’s absence.
A day after the Mets had a players-only meeting, all four members of the infield were out working early before the game.
Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty were on the field pregame with infield coach Mike Sarbaugh and bench coach John Gibbons, working on double plays.
The decision to hold early infield drills was made by Sarbaugh, Lindor said, but he was pleased it happened.
“It’s not like we had a team meeting [Wednesday] night and then said [Thursday], we’re going to do extra infield,’’ Lindor said. “But [Sarbaugh] wanted to do it and it was good that we were out there, doing the work.”
As for the players-only meeting, Mendoza said he was not aware of the meeting before it happened, but was pleased the team called it.
“I like the fact they got together,’’ Mendoza said. “It’s important for them to let it all out. We talk about accountability here.”
And since several players spoke about possible changes in the process — both individually and as a team — Mendoza added, “We’re always looking for ways to improve. … It’s not for lack of effort. This is a game of adjustment.”
