Mets pitcher Jason Vargas rehabs in Trenton with Rumble Ponies

New York Mets left-handed starting pitcher Jason Vargas, a 14-year major league pitcher who has a career 93-92 record with the  Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and New York, made a rehab start Sunday afternoon in Trenton for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Vargas has made six starts for the Mets this season (seven total appearances), and has allowed 16 runs on 26 hits in 24.1 innings of work. Opposing hitters were batting .271 against him, although he had been much better before his leg injury, allowing just four runs in his last 18 innings of work.

He threw 74 pitches Sunday in the 7-1 Binghamton win over the Trenton Thunder, and did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Vargas came out to pitch the bottom of the fifth, but was lifted after he had reached his pitch count with the Rumble Ponies ahead 2-1.  His last two batters he faced walked in the fifth inning.

“It was pretty minimal when I first hurt it,”  Vargas said. But it definitely kept me from doing what I needed to do, but it felt pretty good out there today,.

What did he hope to accomplish on the mound Sunday:

“Just going out there and having a good competitive outing,” Vargas said. “I think we got that. We will see what happens now.”

Vargas on some issues spotting the fastball towards the end of his start:

“Yeah, I was,” Vargas said. “I feel like I was getting a little sloppy there at the end. I talked with Hursty (pitching coach Jonathan Hurst) about that, and that’s why we kept throwing so many fastballs down and away there at the end to try and really focus on staying together and finish up the work.”

More about his fastball:

“I just haven’t been on the mound in a couple weeks,” Vargas said. “It’s warmer than it has been and the pitch count was higher than it has been in two or three weeks. It is probably just a combination of all that.”

On the plan over the next 7-10 days:

“I am going to go back and find that out,” Vargas said. “I will probably see how things respond tomorrow, and see where we are at as a team, then go from there.

“We will see how I respond tomorrow, and after my first bullpen session.”