Carlos Carrasco news: May 21 – Carlos Carrasco had his moments during a three-season underachievement with the New York Mets. However, he has been good of late when he returned with the Cleveland Guardians.
Carlos Carrasco news: Ex-mate Carlos Carrasco sets for shot vs former team
Facing his former Mets team, Carrasco looks to continue a solid May as he tries to help the host Guardians to their fifth straight win on Tuesday night.
Traded to New York for Francisco Lindor, Carrasco (2-4, 5.16 ERA) joins the Mets in January 2021 after 11 seasons in Cleveland. Although he won at least 11 games in four straight seasons (2015-18), injuries and a 2019 leukemia diagnosis hampered his progress in Cleveland.
Health problems followed right hand in New York. In 2021, Carrasco went 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA in just 12 starts for the Mets but went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA over 29 starts the following year. However, Carrasco regressed to a 3-8 mark and 6.80 ERA in 20 starts in 2023 and was placed on waivers in late August.
After signing a minor league contract to reunite with Cleveland, the 37-year-old Carrasco has battled inconsistency through nine starts. However, after allowing 13 runs and 15 hits in nine innings over his last two April starts, Carrasco has a 3.00 ERA in three May efforts. All eight runs — six earned — Carrasco has given up this month have come in three of 18 innings for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who have won seven of eight and are on a 14-3 stretch at home.
In his most recent outing Wednesday, Carrasco yielded only a two-run homer in his fifth and final inning of Cleveland’s 4-0 loss to Texas.
“I thought Carrasco really fought,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “The curveball was pretty good, but I thought he struggled a small bit with his other pitches.
The contest will also mark the first time that Carrasco will face Lindor as an opponent.
“That’s my brother,” Lindor said. “This is the 1st year in my 10-year career that I don’t have (Carrasco) by my side.”
Lindor’s average dropped to .193 after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout and receiving a standing ovation from the Guardians faithful during Monday’s 3-1 loss back to Cleveland. The Mets could only manage Thomas Nido’s third-inning homer and five other hits while losing for the 18th time in 27 games.
Carlos Carrasco news:
Adrian Hauser (0-3, 7.44) will return to the Mets’ rotation for a possible spot start on Tuesday. The right-hander was sent to the bullpen after posting an 8.16 ERA in six starts this season for New York. Since then, he has allowed three runs — one earned — on four hits and three walks over four innings in two relief outings.
“He’s been working really hard for his accomplishments, and we’re pretty confident he’ll get back to being the pitcher we know he’s capable of being,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Houser earlier this month.
Cleveland’s David Frye had a hit in his only at-bat vs. Houser — the only current custodian batter against Houser. Frye had a two-run single Monday and is batting .385 with eight RBIs in his last 15 games.
JD Martinez is New York’s most consistent hitter. He doubled Monday and is batting .361 over the last nine games. Martinez is also hitting .370 (10-for-27) with two doubles and two homers vs. Carrasco.