DENVER—John Maine will remain in the New York Mets’ rotation despite two rough outings to start the season.
Maine and manager Jerry Manuel talked for 30 minutes before Wednesday night’s game at Colorado.
“He’s definitely going to have his next start,” Manuel said. “I think because of his time here and what he has done, I think we’ve got to give him every benefit of the doubt that you possibly can. To the point where it’s effecting everybody else.”
In his first start on April 7, Maine gave up four earned runs in five innings and got a no-decision against Florida. On Tuesday night, the Rockies tagged him for eight runs in three innings and his ERA ballooned to 13.50 ERA.
Maine made 11 starts last year before going on the disabled list for three months because of a tired right shoulder. He came back in mid-September and went 2-2 in his final four starts.
Maine said his shoulder is not giving him trouble.
“It’s completely different now because I’m not trying to compensate for anything, it’s just for some reason there’s been a change in mechanics that hasn’t worked,” he said. “I’m just not going to do that anymore.”
Maine said he will start relying more on his fastball.
“I’m going to scratch everything I’ve been doing since the beginning of spring and get back to what I was doing two years ago and even last year,” he said. “I’m frustrated right now, I’m mad right now but I’m not at all hitting the panic button because I know what I can do. I’ve shown I can compete here. I’m going to get it back. Obviously I’d have liked it sooner rather than later but it’s going to be there.”
“I’m going back to throwing a fastball,” he said. “Hopefully it turns out fine. I may get hit but at least I’m going up there getting beat with my best pitch and not my second, third pitch. This is exactly like last year. It took my fourth start to get the hang of it and roll with it.”
Manuel agreed Maine needs to go back to his signature pitch, but said the pitcher is struggling to find his rhythm with the heater.
“I think he’s lost at least his feel for the fastball,” Manuel said. “We all know that when John Maine is right, you get the fastball, you know you are getting the fastball, but you foul it off. But that’s not happening.”
Maine had a video session with pitching coach Dan Warthen after his poor outing at Coors Field.
Maine is trying to return to where he was in 2007, when he was 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA.
Maine isn’t the only Mets player struggling. Heading into Wednesday’s game against Colorado, New York was 2-5 and had lost three straight. Manuel said he will need to make changes if things don’t turn around.
“I have to be a quicker evaluator than I’ve been,” he said. “The quicker that I can get things right, hopefully the quicker things could get on the right track. Patience is probably not a thing that I will have much of.”
