Making his way back from a right shoulder impingement sustained in late June, Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn was on the mound on Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse in another rehab start.
Blackburn's outing went well and he now has put together a string of strong starts as he hopes to get another crack at either joining New York's rotation or bullpen.
Facing the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, the right-hander went 5.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. He threw 93 pitches/52 strikes — the most in a start during this rehab stint — and has a 2.45 ERA across seven starts for Syracuse which includes his first rehab assignment earlier this season when he was coming back from right knee inflammation.
In 11 rehab starts across all levels of the minors, Blackburn is 4-3 with a 3.08 ERA (1.11 WHIP).
However, his numbers in the majors this year haven't been as pretty.
After returning in June from a 10-month hiatus that included multiple injuries and various setbacks, Blackburn struggled in the swing-man role. In six games (four starts), the 31-year-old went 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA (1.98 WHIP).
With New York's starting rotation healthy and its bullpen fortified, Blackburn's role on the club is unclear. He was traded to the Mets at last season's trade deadline and has appeared in 11 games (nine starts) for New York with little success.
For his career, Blackburn is 22-31 with a 4.97 ERA.
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