The 2019 regular season has not been kind to Edwin Diaz.
The 25-year-old righty went from the MLB's best in 2018 with the Seattle Mariners to a liability for most of his first year in New York, battling through ups and downs as he assumed the Mets' closer role.
Despite a 2-7 record and 5.59 ERA in 56.1 innings over 64 games on the season, Diaz has bounced back recently and hopes to parlay his late-September success into a comeback campaign for 2020.
"It's about just staying positive the last couple outings," Diaz told SNY's Steve Gelbs through Mets interpreter Alan Suriel. "Obviously, with a lot of highs and lows in this season, I just try to stay positive and work hard and just get the good results."
Diaz entered Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins with momentum on his side after he recorded three straight hitless outings over 2.1 innings, striking out six while walking two.
"In terms of teammates, they've all picked me up," Diaz said through Suriel. "When I'm down, they've all told me good, positive things, just so I can relax. And in terms of family, everyone in my family's been great."
Since Sept. 8, Diaz boasts a 2.08 ERA, holding opponents to a 1.33 batting average and building his strong finish, as he aims to get back to his 2018 numbers -- 57 saves and a 1.96 ERA with 124 strikeouts to 17 walks -- that made him an All-Star selection.
"When the season ends, I'm going to relax at home for a little bit and then I'm going to get right back to work at 200 percent," Diaz said through Suriel. "One bad season doesn't determine if you're a bad pitcher or not. I had three great seasons in Seattle (2016-18) and that's not a coincidence."