NEW YORK — Ryan Helsley is having one heck of a time adjusting to his new role in the big city.
And he’s hearing it from New York fans, too.
Acquired by the Mets in a late July trade to give them a lights-out tandem at the back of the bullpen, Helsley endured his latest meltdown when he coughed up a two-run lead in the eighth inning against rival Philadelphia.
The struggling reliever issued a one-out walk to Nick Castellanos and then served up a two-run homer to former St. Louis teammate Harrison Bader that tied the score at 5. After a walk to pinch-hitter Bryson Stott, the right-hander was booed off the Citi Field mound by a crowd of 41,914.
All-Star closer Edwin Díaz rescued Helsley by retiring the next five Phillies batters — four on strikeouts. New York recovered to win 6-5 on Brandon Nimmo’s game-ending RBI single in the ninth, but Helsley’s troubles are a major concern as the Mets fight for a playoff spot with 30 games remaining this season.
“I’ve been through that,” Díaz said. “My advice to him is just play with your head up. We trust him. We know what (kind of) pitcher he is. He’s one of the best closers in the game. He’s going through some bad moments right now but we trust in him.”
A two-time All-Star closer for the Cardinals, Helsley has completely flopped as Díaz’s setup man with the Mets. He is 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA and four blown saves in 11 appearances since coming over from St. Louis in exchange for three minor leaguers on July 30. He has given up 14 runs (10 earned), 13 hits and seven walks in 8 2/3 innings.
Those numbers are difficult to fathom, considering Helsley normally pairs his 100 mph fastball with a sharp slider. But he’s hung his breaking ball too often since arriving in New York, and opposing hitters have made him pay.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza intimated Helsley could be tipping his pitches.
“We’ve just got to get Helsley right. Too good of stuff for them to be taking some really good swings on fastballs, really good takes on the sliders. So we’ve got to look back and see what we’re missing,” Mendoza said. “Because for those teams to have comfortable at-bats like that, something’s going on there and we have to figure it out.”
The 31-year-old Helsley, born in Oklahoma, enters games to “Hells Bells” by AC/DC and can become a free agent after the World Series. He was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves in 36 outings with the Cardinals this season, racking up 41 strikeouts in 36 innings.
That after he led the majors with 49 saves last year, when he finished 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award.
But since joining the Mets, he’s been a mess on the mound.
“There’s an adjustment period coming to a new team,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said before the game.
“We’re asking him to take on a new role. That’s certainly been well documented. When you don’t have results immediately, it’s natural to press a little bit, and what we’re trying to do is help him exhale a little bit, take a deep breath. The stuff is still there. He’s been good in this league for a long time, he’s going to be good again.”