Zach Thornton hasn’t found a way to stick in the Mets rotation this season.
That may change after his performance Sunday, perhaps the lone bit of optimism after another disappointing defeat.
The rookie left-hander, who lacks a dominant repertoire, has impressed the organization with his ability to make the most of his arsenal.
He did it again in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Boston, when he tossed seven shutout innings against a solid lineup.
Interim manager Andy Green said the 24-year-old would make his next start in the majors, which is hardly a surprise considering the state of the rotation.
“He attacked, was aggressive and had tempo,” Green said. “He missed barrels. … For us, that is what we want to see out of him.”
It’s more than they have seen from most of their rotation, which consists of Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Sean Manaea, as well as Freddy Peralta — who figures to be moved prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Thornton said he relied on throwing all five of his pitches for strikes, which is how he can get by with a four-seamer that typically sits in the low 90s.
“It’s the way I grew up watching the game,’’ Thornton said, noting Jacob deGrom as an example.
“DeGrom would go seven or eight innings every time, through the lineup three or four times,’’ Thornton said.
Thornton’s stuff won’t often be confused with deGrom’s, but his results Sunday were more than the Mets could have asked for.
His previous two outings came with Triple-A Syracuse, but Thornton had already pitched well against the Phillies in his second start in the majors this season.
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He allowed just two hits and a pair of walks over his seven innings and needed just 82 pitches to do so.
Thornton hardly broke a sweat through the first four innings. He retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced, allowing only a leadoff walk in the second to Romy González before Andruw Monasterio doubled with one out in the fifth.
Thornton then struck out Jarren Duran and induced a groundout from Nate Eaton to keep the Mets ahead by a run.
Kodai Senga is out of the rotation, Clay Holmes is still sidelined by a fractured fibula and Tobias Myers was optioned to Syracuse again Sunday, leaving plenty of room for Thornton.
“I’m super excited to be here to contribute to wins,’’ Thornton said.
Asked if he thought he belonged in the majors, Thornton said, “I think I belong anywhere.”
“He’s unafraid,’’ Green said. “We’re seeing who he is. He attacks everybody at every level.”
For a team going nowhere, finding out if Thornton can keep this up might be worth watching in the second half.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
