Edwin Diaz returns to the Mets after a suspension due to serious injuries

PITTSBURGH — Baseball poses a lot of questions that have no clear answers. The Mets have spent the last year and a half grappling with the question, how sticky is too sticky?

The Mets must find an answer or risk losing another pitcher.

“I think that’s a conversation everyone’s having these days,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday at PNC Park.

Edwin Diaz was relieved of his 10-game suspension for sticky material this weekend, giving a struggling bullpen a huge boost. The right-handed closer is ready to pick up right where he left off when he was ejected from a game at Wrigley Field on June 23, which means he’ll be using the same mix of rosin, sweat and dirt to grip the ball.

Diaz maintains his innocence and has no intention of changing his pitching style.

“I’m going to do the same thing — I had nothing that day,” Diaz said Saturday before the Mets played the second of four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “I’m going to do the same thing: rosin, sweat and dirt. That’s how I get a grip on the ball.”

Diaz was accused of using a foreign substance by umpire Vic Carapazza, but he categorically denies using anything illegal. The only guilt he feels is guilt for giving his team a man down for ten games. The Mets went 5-5 in those ten games, with some major bullpen failures. A weak bullpen was further exposed, especially in the tenth game he missed.

The Mets allowed so many home runs in a 14-2 loss to the Pirates on Friday night that the fireworks went off at PNC Park. Starter Luis Severino was credited with seven of those earned runs, but three of them were taken runs allowed by left-hander Jake Diekman. Right-hander Ty Adcock allowed six earned runs and was demoted to Triple-A on Saturday as a result.

The Mets have called up right-hander Eric Orze to replace him in the bullpen.

“The hardest part was dealing with the guys we have and just going out there and doing our best,” Reed Garrett told the Daily News. “When one guy goes down, they ask you to take more advantage of the others.”

As a result, the Mets relied heavily on Garrett, right-handers Adam Ottavino and Dedniel Nuñez, and left-hander Jake Diekman over the final 10 games. The results were not always good.

Diekman made five appearances and allowed five earned runs in just three innings. Garrett made four appearances and allowed two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. He also allowed six of seven runners to score.

Ottavino fared better, making five appearances, allowing three runs (two earned) and retiring the only two runners he faced.

“Everyone is trying to deal with their own workload individually,” Ottavino said. “That’s going to affect their throwing decisions. For example, if you’ve been throwing too much, you’re going to scale it back. If you haven’t been throwing enough, you’re going to throw a little more.”

This is how relievers usually handle their workload in the first place, but with a man missing, the pitchers were even more uncertain and life became even harder for Mendoza.

Garrett had to warm up twice during a game in Washington. Nuñez pitched on two consecutive days after throwing multiple innings. The Mets had a rotating staff of Triple-A pitchers struggling to get outs, Triple-A starter Jose Butto was called up to the bullpen and starter Tylor Megill was demoted in favor of a fresh pitcher.

“There were days when the guys had big outs,” Mendoza said. “There were days when we didn’t get the job done.”

The Mets’ bullpen has walked 143 hitters this season, fifth-most in the league. They are 24-11 when leading after six innings, 7-5 when tied after seven innings and 5-4 when tied after eight innings. With the Mets in the thick of the NL Wild Card mix, the bullpen is critical to their success this summer.

That means the Mets will have to keep their arms in the bullpen instead of on the sidelines. Mendoza said they’re continuing to educate players on how to use rosin safely to avoid another suspension.

“If you’re not sure, go for less sticky ones,” Ottavino said. “Yes, you want to have a firm grip on the ball, but the rosin and sweat will help you achieve that. It’s an individual decision, but I think we all know what overkill is.”

“And I think the only difficult part is that sometimes the referees interpret things differently.”