Porcello 'excited to get out there' for Mets debut

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Before the first week of Grapefruit League games, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner gave Rick Porcello a choice between pitching the opener, or one last round of live batting practice. Considering Porcello was only going to throw a couple dozen pitches in either scenario, the workload was going to be the same.

For Porcello it wasn’t much of a choice.

“I want to pitch in games and get as much work in as I can against live hitters in that type of setting,” Porcello said. “[Hefner] told me it was one inning. I asked him for another one, but he shut it down.”

Even for an 11-year veteran like Porcello, who came to the Mets on a $10 million contract this winter, the adrenaline of game settings can be difficult to simulate. That’s why he intends to pitch in as many Grapefruit League contests as possible, avoiding such alternative assignments as live BP, simulated games or “B” games on the backfields.

“Today, this is as close as you’re going to get to that feeling when you get out there for the first time in the regular season,” Porcello said of the Mets’ Grapefruit League debut, a 5-3 loss to the Marlins at Clover Park. “Everyone’s excited for the first game of spring. I’m excited to get out there on the mound again after a long offseason. You work on things on the side, but you don’t have that same feeling going where your body tends to speed up, your mind tends to speed up.”

The goal, Porcello said, is to get as many spring reps as possible so that when the regular season begins, all of his focus can be on execution. For the most part, he looked sharp in his Mets debut, allowing one run on two hits -- both softly hit. He mostly bemoaned a pair of stolen bases against him, saying he’s unaccustomed to the National League’s more aggressive style of baserunning.

“They don’t really steal bases that much in the American League,” he said, laughing. “I’ll start paying attention to that a little bit more, and be prepared for a little bit of change in the style of play.”

From the trainer’s room

Seth Lugo threw off a mound on Saturday for the first time since breaking his left pinkie toe in a hotel room accident earlier this week. Lugo, who never considered the injury significant, said that “all the pitches were there, executing and locating.” He completed the session without any extra padding in his shoe.

“I felt pretty good,” added Lugo, who spent four days limited to flat-ground work. “The pitches were coming out good. I felt a little soreness when I got done, but that’s to be expected. Hopefully, tomorrow that’s gone.”

Lugo, who projects as a late-inning reliever for the Mets, bumped the toe into an ottoman on Monday night. Although he’s not sure if his next step will be another bullpen session or live BP, he believes he has more than enough time to prepare for the regular season. He said he only needs five or six appearances in Grapefruit League games to ready himself.

For now he is working his feet with plyometric drills, lightly jumping from side to side, and front to back. He will intensify those drills as the soreness in his toe dissipates.

Knee down

Wilson Ramos debuted a new catching stance on Saturday, dropping to one knee in his crouch. The stance has two intended benefits: It puts less stress on his legs while also improving his ability to frame low pitches. The Mets believe his framing struggles last season were mostly on pitches near the bottom of the zone.

“I felt comfortable,” said Ramos, who also contributed a two-run opposite-field double. "I felt like I’m resting a little bit more, and that will help me to have more time before the plate, more games. I’ll take that advantage.”

Splitting up

The other half of the Mets’ split-squad dropped a 2-0 game to the Cardinals in Jupiter. Marcus Stroman allowed a solo home run to take the loss, and Brandon Nimmo left the game after being hit by a pitch.

Manager Luis Rojas said Nimmo’s removal was not due to any injury, but instead because the Mets plan to start him again in Sunday’s home game against the Cardinals.

Up next

Joining Nimmo on the field on Sunday will be starting pitcher Steven Matz, who is battling for a job in the rotation. Bullpen stalwarts Jeurys Familia, Robert Gsellman and Brad Brach are also scheduled to appear in the 1:05 p.m. ET game at Clover Park.