How Carlos Carrasco Has 'Come in Handy' For The Mets

With ace Jacob deGrom (right elbow inflammation) on the shelf, Carlos Carrasco is starting to become the reliable starting pitcher the Mets believed they were getting when they acquired him in the Francisco Lindor trade last offseason.

Despite going through some more first-inning struggles, allowing a leadoff homer and an additional run afterwards, Carrasco settled down to toss another strong outing against the Marlins on Thursday evening, which helped his team complete a series sweep for their fifth straight win.

In 5.1 innings, Carrasco gave up three runs (two-earned) on four hits, while striking out five batters. This comes after he tossed seven innings of two-run baseball in his last start against the mighty San Francisco Giants.

Across his last three starts (17.1 innings), Carrasco has produced a 3.68 ERA and struck out 16 batters. This has lowered his dreadful 10.32 ERA to 6.59.

According to Luis Rojas, Carrasco's changeup has been the key, which is "nasty" against both righties and lefties. And his secondary stuff is also working well for him right now. 

"Cookie is exactly what we need at this point to give us quality starts....missing Jake (deGrom), Cookie has come in handy so I'm glad he is stretched out at this point and can give us the length we need before we give the ball to the bullpen."

After tearing his hamstring in spring training, Carrasco didn't make his Mets debut until July 30. And although he faltered out of the gate, he is beginning to find his footing on the mound, which is crucial for the Mets in deGrom's absence.