'That's just not him': Changeup eludes Carrasco

NEW YORK -- Taking the mound for the second time this season, Carlos Carrasco could not allay any of the questions that his first start raised.

The veteran right-hander's struggles continued in the Mets' 7-2 loss to the Marlins in Sunday's series finale at Citi Field, when Carrasco allowed six earned runs, including two home runs, and couldn't escape the fifth inning.

Carrasco has an 11.42 ERA through two starts, at a time when the Mets' starting rotation needs the 36-year-old as much as ever to be the steady hand he was for the majority of 2022.

To manager Buck Showalter, the different Carrasco the Mets are seeing is due to two factors:

"Command in the counts and a feel for the [changeup]," Showalter said. "That's a big pitch for him. He just hasn't had a real good grasp of where it's gonna be. He'll be better."

But the situation is more or less the same for Carrasco as it was after his shaky first start. Justin Verlander is still likely a few weeks away from rejoining the rotation despite the improvement in his injured right side. José Quintana is still out until at least July. Ace Max Scherzer still has yet to find his typical dominant form.

For a second straight outing, though, Carrasco turned in an uncharacteristic performance.

His fastball velocity continued to be down, hovering at just over 91 mph. The 91.3 mph he averaged on Sunday was slightly above the career-low 91.1 mph he averaged in his first start, but by just enough to make it his second-lowest in his 14 big league seasons.

"I'm not worried about the velocity right now," Carrasco said.

He reassured reporters about the status of his health, and seemed grateful to do so, thanking a reporter for asking how he feels physically.

"I feel really good. Thank you for that question. I feel really good right now," Carrasco said. "I think the more important thing right now is just giving the team an opportunity to win some games. That's all I care about right now."

Rather, what Carrasco and the Mets identify as the source of his struggles is the command of his secondary pitches, particularly the changeup and slider -- not his fastball and its speed.

The big damage against Carrasco on Sunday came against his slider, as both home runs came on sliders that he hung when ahead in the count, including an 0-2 pitch to Bryan De La Cruz in the first inning that ended up a three-run shot.

"You don't see Carlos hang a slider 0-2," Showalter said. "That's just not him."

As revealing as the sliders in the heart of the zone were, the changeups were nowhere to be found. Carrasco only threw his changeup for 12% of his pitches against the Marlins, whereas he threw it 25% of the time last season, making it the secondary pitch he relied on the most.

"Every time he kept trying to find it, he couldn't land it," Showalter said.

"Actually, that's true," Carrasco said. "That's one of the main pitches that I have. I'm trying to find it. I'm just trying to get it back. Because I need it. I really need it."