Mets' Edwin Diaz has 'better' spring outing against Red Sox: 'From the first pitch, there was conviction'

It's been an inconsistent spring for Edwin Diaz, but he bounced back in a big way for the Mets on Thursday.

Although it came in a losing effort, Diaz was sharp in his third spring training outing. After the Mets closer gave up a leadoff double, he retired the next three baters on a fly out, strikeout swinging and another fly out. He threw 18 pitches, 12 going for strikes.

"Better," Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza said of Diaz's outing. "From the first pitch, there was conviction. It’s spring training. The first couple of outings, you felt like after a couple of guys got on, that was when he was letting the ball go. Today, we saw it from the first pitch. Even though he gave up that double, he had to work today, make pitches and there was much more conviction behind it."

Diaz's first outing came back on March 6 against the Astros, where he allowed two runs on two hits and one walk, getting just one out. The All-Star closer was unfazed by his performance, calling it "part of the game."

His next time out (March 9 against the Nationals), Diaz struck out three batters but walked two in his inning of work. It took him 27 pitches to retire the side.

Thursday was a different story. Diaz was efficient and attacked the zone. However, his fastball saw a dip in velocity. The 30-year-old's fastball averaged 95 mph and topped out around 96 mph. His final heater was clocked at 92 mph.

Mendoza was asked about Diaz's velocity and whether he was concerned.

"Nah, it’ll come up," he said. "I’m not worried about that."

If all is right with Diaz, the Mets should have a formidable backend of the bullpen with A.J. Minter making his impressive spring debut on Wednesday. The left-hander, who signed a two-year deal with the Mets, pitched a perfect inning on just 10 pitches. Minter had a delayed start to camp after recovering from offseason hip surgery.

Dedniel Nunez, who was impressive out of the pen for the Mets last season, got through his live BP earlier this week "ok," per Mendoza. The Mets skipper said Nunez's next step will be in game action on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mets' next game is hosting the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night.