Looking over Hansel Robles‘ second half, he was terrific. He was 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA, 0.894 WHIP, and a 12.1 K/9. He’s only allowed batters to hit .171/.246/.450 against him. He gets both lefties and righties out effectively. 

I also loved the quick pitch. He’s chose his spots well. It’s kept batters off balance and I’ll at ease. It’s something that’s crucial in the postseason, especially against a Royals team that other than one at bat has been very comfortable in the World Series.

Terry Collins has sat him in place of Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon. It’s hard to argue there because they have mostly got the job done. You know who hadn’t?  Tyler Clippard.  Coming into the playoffs, there was no reason to believe he would. 

In September, he was dealing with a back injury. Coincidentally, he had a horrendous month. In his September and October regular season appearances, he made 14 appearances with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.295 WHIP. Batters hit .268/.323/.536 against him. Despite all evidence that he couldn’t get the job done, Collins left him as the eighth inning guy and left Robles behind. 

This postseason he has a 6.75 ERA with a 1.499 WHIP. He walked two batters in the eighth inning last night sparking the Royals rally and putting the Mets one game away from losing the World Series. Clippard’s performance should be a surprise to no one, and yet he keeps going out there in the highest leverage situations harming the Mets chances. 

And yet, the more effective Robles sits and watches.