KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mets pitching coach Phil Regan held his left thumb about a half-inch from his index finger on Saturday when discussing his pet project.
“I think we’re this close,” Regan said, referring to Edwin Diaz and a possible resurgence for the beleaguered reliever.
Diaz had entered in the eighth inning with the bases loaded a night earlier against the Royals and walked the first batter he faced before surrendering an RBI single. A subsequent grand slam by Ryan O’Hearn was overturned on replay, but two of the runners Diaz had inherited from Brad Brach already had scored, turning the Mets’ 2-1 deficit into a three-run hole.