February 24, 2020 11:24 AM : Matz is focused on staying aggressive this spring after changing his approach following a brief demotion to the bullpen last season, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The southpaw is battling with Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha for the final two spots in the Mets' rotation this spring, but the fact that he would be the only left-hander in the group, as well as his holdover status, would seem to give Matz the edge. Prior to his demotion to a relief role last July, he'd posted a 6.21 ERA in the first innings of his starts, but Matz then learned to be more aggressive attacking hitters rather than being overly concerned over which of his pitches were "working" on any given day. He posted a 3.52 ERA over his final 14 starts after rejoining the rotation, allowing only one first-inning run along the way. "Some days, you just feel like you don't have it," Matz said. "And so sometimes, you've got to just trust -- trust that what you have, all the work you put in, all the preparation that you put in, that it's going to be there, instead of, 'I don't feel like I have a good curveball today,' so you shy away from it or whatever. You put in all these hours of work, just trust it, go out and execute. That mentality, I think translates well for me."