PORT ST. LUCIE Michael Brantley Jersey , Fla. (AP) — The New York Mets hope their hard-throwing pitchers can dominate in the NL East this season.First, they have a little work to do controlling the strike zone.Noah Syndergaard walked five over 2 2/3 innings and Edwin Diaz gave out two free passes in his spring debut Saturday, shaky efforts for two of the biggest arms in the sport.Syndergaard opened by walking Houston’s George Springer on four pitches and was charged with an unearned run when Springer scored on a throwing error by shortstop Danny Espinosa.“Probably not his best outing ever,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. “But when it’s something not typical of a player like that, kind of scattering the ball around, you don’t really worry about it.“It’s kind of an anomaly in my mind. The stuff was good, the sliders he clicked were really good, he threw some good change-ups and we know the velocity is there and he was feeling good. He just didn’t have command of the ball like he usually does.”Syndegaard averaged 97.4 mph on his fastball last season, second best in the majors among pitchers with at least 100 innings behind the Yankees’ Luis Severino. He said the timing of his delivery was off Saturday.“My lower half and my upper half weren’t really quite synching up,” he said. “I just tried to guide the ball instead of drive it through the mitt.”This was Syndergaard’s second outing of the spring, and he pitched well in the first one. He said he wasn’t totally comfortable for the debut http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , either, but thinks it might be beneficial to have to grind through some innings in early March.“I always think it’s great to struggle, that separates the men from the boys. It’s how you react and make adjustments … when you realize you don’t have your best stuff,” said Syndergaard, who held the Astros hitless.Diaz posted an MLB-high 57 saves last season for the Mariners and ranked 13th among qualified relievers with a 97.3 mph average fastball.The Mets were anxious to watch their new closer make his blue-and-orange debut. Diaz walked a pair in a scoreless sixth inning, fanned one and didn’t allow a hit to the Astros in an 8-7 loss.“He was a little rusty because he hasn’t pitched in a game until today for a while,” Callaway said. “He’ll get it all honed in and over the plate and be aggressive. His stuff is great.”NOTES: OF Michael Conforto hit a solo homer off Justin Verlander in the first inning, his first shot of the spring. … Catcher Wilson Ramos hit a grand slam and went 3 for 3. … Callaway said Travis D’Arnaud will serve as the DH on Sunday and Monday. It will be his first action since Tommy John surgery in April. … INF Jed Lowrie held a clinic with a Colombian baseball team Saturday on Field 2. One of the players was Jose Mosquera, who lost his right leg in a car accident. A big supporter of Project Beisbol, Lowrie and wife Milessa covered the cost of a prosthetic leg and fitting procedure for Mosquera. “It speaks volumes of what the game means to so many,” said Lowrie of Mosquera’s commitment to baseball. We know Black’s strengths Kenny Lofton Jersey , but he’ll face new challenges in his third season as Rockies manager"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Scaling the RocksPebble ReportRockpileRockies Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceRockies State of the PositionBud Black to face new challenges as Rockies manager in 2019New,18commentsWe know Black’s strengths, but he’ll face new challenges in his third season as Rockies managerMSTShareTweetShareShareBud Black to face new challenges as Rockies manager in 2019. . . The interactions with him are generally a good thing. That’s not always the case with managers.” The ways in which the Rockies players speak of Black — Kyle Freeland comes to mind — suggest that Black’s approach is working. While Rockies Twitter likes to make fun of “being a good clubhouse guy,” there’s a lot to be said for a positive workspace. Black makes that happen.Bud Black sees himself a teacher:ChallengesThat brings us to the Rockies’ offense. Perhaps telling hitters what a pitcher is thinking, while valuable, isn’t enough. The Rockies have struggled for the last two years, ranking 28th in the majors as measured by wRC+; according to OPS+, the Rockies were 25th. It’s difficult to determine whether offensive decisions are made by Black or General Manager Jeff Bridich given their highly collaborative relationship. As Nick Groke points out in this article, part of Black’s managerial role is to be “[folded] into their front office as much as the dugout.” This suggests that it was Black’s decision to give Ian Desmond 619 plate appearances in 2018. Whatever the reason for all that playing time, Black stood by Desmond through a dismal year — and, frankly http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , a manager should. But it doesn’t answer the larger question about Black’s effectiveness as an offensive manager.Black has been criticized for a resistance to playing less-experienced players. Purple Row’s Samantha Bradfield asked Bridich about this. He answered, “Just because you’re young and you’re talented, there’s always certain things that need to be done, whether it’s a position player or a pitcher in order to make sure that you show everybody that you’re ready to take on the responsibility of not just playing at the major league level, but winning games at the major league level and contributing to that group effort.” The extent to which Black shares his thinking is unclear.Coaching staff changesTony Diaz left while Duane Espy was replaced as hitting coach. Here’s the 2019 Rockies coaching staff:Mike Redmond (Bench Coach)Dave Magadan (Hitting Coach) Jeff Salazar (Assistant Hitting Coach)Steve Foster (Pitching Coach)Ronnie Gideon (First Base Coach)Stu Cole (Third Base Coach)Darren Holmes (Bullpen Coach)Aaron Munoz (Bullpen Catcher)Kyle Cunningham (Assistant Bullpen Catcher)Obviously, that changes this year with Garrett Hampson, Ryan McMahon, and Brendan Rodgers taking a run at the starting second-base position. Meanwhile, a similar contest will be happening in the outfield. The Rockies will, indeed, let the kids play http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authentic-b.j.-upton-jersey , which will provide additional insight into Black’s ability to work with young players.In terms of the coaching staff, Dave Magadan is probably the most consequential change, and given the number of young players trying to make the roster, he will have a chance to make an impact. (Read Nick Groke’s profile here.) Keeping Steve Foster and Darren Holmes in place suggests a positive future for Rockies pitching, assuming everyone stays healthy.2019 will mark a year of possibilities for the Colorado Rockies. Now we see what happens when they let the kids play, which will provide a new measure of Black’s managerial skills.