Mets’ Trevor May gets it done in biggest spot since return from injury

The Mets did not add a southpaw reliever at the trade deadline, a fact that will loom large with every late-inning at-bat involving strong lefty hitters on opposing teams.

Trevor May, who was added not through a trade, but through an activation from the injured list around the deadline, took down three of those lefty hitters Saturday night.

In his fourth outing since returning from right triceps inflammation, May came through in his most important spot of the season, shutting down the Phillies in the eighth inning of a 1-0 win at Citi Field.

Manager Buck Showalter wanted to stay away from Adam Ottavino, who had pitched Friday and four times in the past nine days, and Mychal Givens, who also pitched Friday. After Seth Lugo pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of a still-building-up Jacob deGrom, Showalter turned to May.

The righty reliever had his best stuff of the season, with a fastball that topped out at 97.5 mph.

Trevor May Gordon Donovan

He won a six-pitch battle with lefty Brandon Marsh, who struck out on a fastball, and punched out lefty Nick Maton on five pitches before his biggest test: pinch-hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The notorious Mets-killer feasts on righty pitchers, but May induced a fly out to center to escape with the one-run lead intact.

“I thought that was one of our bigger outings,” said Showalter, who did not call on lefty Joely Rodriguez because he was wary of righties Jean Segura and Edmundo Sosa on Philadelphia’s bench. “To have that progression of a piece that can pitch those innings — we all know he’s capable of it now that he’s physically sound.”

May is still not being used on back-to-back nights as he builds his arm back up. But any sign of an emergence from a thin bullpen would be welcomed by the Mets.

“That was a big thing for us to accomplish tonight, getting Trevor in there,” Showalter said.

Showalter said one of Francisco Lindor’s contact lenses fell out in the ninth inning, but during an electric Edwin Diaz appearance, he did not want to call timeout and halt any momentum.

Showalter said Lindor told him, “I was hoping the ball wouldn’t be hit to me.”

It wasn’t, as the outs came through a ground out to third base, a fly out to right field and a strikeout.

Tommy Hunter began a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton. The righty reliever allowed one hit and struck out two during a scoreless inning.

Daniel Vogelbach (0-for-3) failed to reach base for the first time in his 14 starts as a member of the Mets. He had been the first Met to reach base in 13 straight starts to begin his tenure in Queens since Nori Aoki, who reached in 15 straight in 2017.

Tomas Nido went 0-for-3 and snapped his six-game hitting streak.