Tyler Clippard struggled down the stretch of the season, to the point Terry Collins was considering swapping Clippard and Addison Reed’s role to make Reed the primary eighth inning reliever.
But on Thursday in Los Angeles, Collins said the team will stay the course and keep Clippard in his role in the eighth inning.
Collins said one of the reasons the Mets are sticking with Clippard is his success against left-handed hitting, and he can help provide an advantage in that inning over Reed against the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager and Chase Utley.
“You’re looking at a lineup that’s primarily left-handed,” Collins said. “You look at Clippard’s numbers against lefties and they’re really good.”
Left-handers are hitting just .137 against Clippard this season.
“With the back end of our bullpen, the way they’re set up, we like it. It’s worked,” Collins explained. “I think the four days off has helped a lot of guys, including Tyler.”
Clippard allowed ten earned runs in his final 12 outings during the regular season.
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