Carlos Carrasco’s season veered into the territory of crushing morosity long ago, but things got ever more morose on Saturday.
The right-hander turned in his shortest outing of the year, looking hopeless over 1 ²/₃ innings of five-run ball in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Angels in which not a single ball off the bat of an opposing player was hit below 90 miles an hour.
That included a 405-foot Mickey Moniak blast to right field (103.3 mph), two extra-base hits from Shohei Ohtani (109.6 and 91.2 mph), the latter of which preceded a Brandon Drury double (101.3 mph).
It was at this point, with Carrasco the target of boos from the home crowd, that Buck Showalter pulled the plug on the outing.
Afterward, the Mets’ manager was noncommittal on whether Carrasco would stay in the rotation.
“Billy [Eppler, Mets GM] and I and [pitching coach Jeremy Hefner] have been talking about a lot of things about the pitching staff,” Showalter said. “As we get into September, I’m sure that’s something we’ll talk about.”
It is not Carrasco’s worst start of the year in terms of runs allowed — he has allowed six earned runs on three occasions and gave up eight runs, with six earned, on July 29 against the Nationals.
But it might well have ranked among the most hopeless as Carrasco heads toward unrestricted free agency like a model airplane running low on battery.
“I’m just trying to figure out what to do,” Carrasco said. “Something new, something old, trying to bring everything that I can so I can move forward.
“But sometimes, it’s not there, man.”
Starling Marte received an injection in his right groin this week and is headed to Philadelphia for physical therapy. The Mets are holding out hope he can return this season.
After one rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse, Mark Vientos (left wrist tendinitis) was back in Queens and said he believed he would be activated Sunday. Showalter was not yet sure.
Edwin Diaz threw on the field before the game and is expected to throw a bullpen session off an outdoor mound on Sunday.