OAKLAND, Calif. — A day after arriving to the Mets from Triple-A Syracuse with the thought he would be a bullpen option, Jose Butto was on the mound for his second career major league start.
Inserted into the rotation because of Max Scherzer’s back soreness, the right-hander gave the Mets a chance Sunday by allowing one run over five innings in the team’s 4-3 victory in 10 innings over the Athletics.
Butto endured plenty of traffic — he allowed five hits and walked four — but managed to avoid serious damage.
“I’m really proud of Butto today — that was delivered in a time of need,” manager Buck Showalter said.
Butto said his velocity has increased since spring training — he averaged 94.2 mph with his four-seamer on Sunday — and was pleased with his performance. Butto had a cameo with the Mets last August and allowed seven earned runs in four innings against the Phillies.
Scherzer played catch before the game and is “doing well,” according to Showalter. The Mets co-ace was pushed back in the rotation until Wednesday because of back discomfort. Scherzer is scheduled to pitch against Noah Syndergaard in the series finale against the Dodgers.
Francisco Alvarez received his first back-to-back start at catcher since his recall from Triple-A Syracuse on April 7. Showalter said it was a combination of wanting Alvarez behind the plate for a pitcher with whom he is familiar, Butto, and getting consecutive starts for the rookie. Alvarez’s handling of the Mets’ pitchers on Saturday impressed Showalter, even as Alvarez continues to struggle offensively. Alvarez went 0-for-4 at the plate, but his fly ball to right in the 10th inning moved Eduardo Escobar to third base before Escobar scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
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“I love the fact that Alvarez doesn’t take [his offensive slump] behind the plate,” Showalter said. “He comes into the dugout and he is engaged, he’s looking at notes yesterday during the game, some things he had on hitters and pitchers. He is totally immersed in the catching part of it, so that is really good to see, because the hitting will always come and go because it’s a very taxing position.”
The A’s held a ceremony before the game to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1973 World Series winning team that beat the Mets in seven games. Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers and Vida Blue were among the former A’s stars who attended the celebration.
