MLB

Mets’ four-out save plan for Edwin Diaz goes up in smoke

Mickey Callaway planned to use Edwin Diaz for a four-out save Saturday. Instead, the Mets’ closer didn’t even pitch the ninth.

Three days after Callaway said the Mets were willing to let their closer be used in four-out save situations — and one month after declaring Diaz wouldn’t be asked to record more than three outs until the playoffs — the 25-year-old was brought in with two outs in the eighth inning. He was removed, however, shortly after blowing his first save since Aug. 20 in what became a 5-4, 13-inning win over the Tigers.

When Diaz entered, the Mets held a 4-3 lead and Detroit’s Josh Harrison stood on third, following a double off Robert Gsellman. Jacoby Jones, who entered the game batting .183, came to the plate.

Diaz had recorded 22 straight saves and had cashed in his first 12 opportunities with the Mets.

“I think once you get him up and you get him ready, and you have a runner in scoring position and then you get that second out, you just gotta pull the trigger,” Callaway said. “Once that guy gets in scoring position, you get that second out in the inning, you gotta go for it.”

Diaz opened with two balls, then quickly evened the count before firing a high fastball, which Jones was able to push into shallow right field for a game-tying single. Diaz, who was not responsible for the run allowed and now holds a 1.80 ERA, followed with a strikeout to finish with 13 pitches. He was appearing for the fourth time in six days, and he also warmed up during one of his days off.

“We were bringing him in for [a four-our save] and it didn’t work out,” Callaway said. “At that point, it would’ve been tough to send him back out in a tie game and make him throw like 38 to 40 pitches.”

Though Callaway has said he believed he had a strong bridge to Diaz in place before the season, the set-up role has grown shaky, following the struggles of Jeurys Familia (5.85 ERA) and the injury to Seth Lugo (right shoulder tendinitis).

Diaz recorded four or more outs just three times while recording a major league-leading 57 saves last year with the Mariners.

“We’re doing this earlier than we would like,” Callaway said Wednesday. “If we’re not going to be where we want to be at this point, how can we expect to be there and hold off on doing that with Diaz? We got to win some games. We’re going to approach this like it’s the playoffs because we feel like we need to.”