A perfect day for the NY Mets player who needed to channel his inner Curt Hennig most

No roster spot should come for free. However, with ample New York Mets injuries, it felt like Paul Blackburn was going to win his way to join 25 other players to begin the year. Originally intended to be in a competition alongside Griffin Canning for a sixth spot in the rotation, injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas elevated Blackburn to what seemingly appears to be one of five starters they’ll begin the year with.

Before Wednesday’s appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals, it was looking like the Mets might want to cut the cord on him before even giving him an opportunity. Blackburn got clobbered in each of his last two outings, allowing 7 runs (6 earned) over his last 3.2 innings of work.

Wednesday was much different. Four perfect innings with two strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals helped Blackburn kick out before the referee could count to ten.

The ups and downs of Paul Blackburn are at it again

It’s easy to forget Blackburn tossed a 1-2-3 inning back on February 26. Meaningless perhaps because of how abbreviated it was, the story for him has been how unwatchable he had been in March. An unfavorable 6.23 ERA continues to linger. Just 3 strikeouts in 8.2 innings plus 4 walks doesn’t cleanse how we feel about him.

This isn’t so different from what he gave the Mets in the regular season last year. The overall numbers were pathetic at 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA in the limited 5 starts he made. As disastrous as it looks, he had 3 appearances that included 6 innings and only 1 earned run allowed. One of those games had a second unearned run.

A pair of bludgeonings, one by his former Oakland Athletics teammates with 6 earned runs and another unearned plus his final outing that lasted 2.1 innings and somehow included 10 hits and only 5 runs (all earned) helped give us a sour taste of Blackburn. He was much the same with the Athletics earlier in the season. His first three starts all lasted 6+ innings without any runs allowed. Then he had games of 3, 4, and 6. In two May starts, Blackburn had a 7 innings performance with 1 earned run followed by a 4 inning outing with 7 across. He finished up his time in Oakland with one start after returning from the IL by going 5 and allowing 4 earned runs.

Mediocrity is often the final conclusion to come to when looking at the combined results of

Blackburn’s highs and his lows. By choosing to tender him a contract, the Mets seem to have some belief the highs will be more plentiful or at least timed well.

Getting him to start in the early part of the season and knowing when to say goodbye could be the key. Blackburn is 13-12 with a 4.33 EAR in the first half. After the All-Star Break, he’s 9-15 with a 5.18 ERA. Although you’d never know from his spring training, he has been a strong early season pitcher. March/April has resulted in a 5-1 record and 2.62 ERA in 10 starts. In May, he’s 3-2 with a 3.47 ERA. September is when things fall apart, going 2-8 with an 8.54 ERA in his career.

The blueprints are there for the Mets. Get what you can from him now while you need it. Wish him well once those better options are available.