Steven Matz had to wait two months to make his season debut. Once he did, the Mets’ southpaw was in command for seven innings in a win over Atlanta. However, there was one thing missing from Matz’s start: the use of a slider.
Matz reverted to pre-September 2015, using just his regular arsenal. He threw zero sliders, which can raise an eyebrow and a question or two. Is Matz done with that pitch? Or is he just being extra cautious and maybe looking to re-incorporate that pitch again down the road?
After Matz busted the slider out in his last couple of outings of 2015, he started to lean heavily on it early in 2016.