JUPITER, Fla. _ The Mets wanted Rick Porcello to throw about 50 pitches against the Cardinals on Thursday. They just didn't want him to throw all of them in one inning.
So when Porcello's pitch count started to climb into the low 20s in the first inning, manager Luis Rojas got up reliever Harol Gonzalez in the bullpen.
But Porcello retired Yadier Molina on a pop-up to second base with two outs and two runners on with his 24th pitch. The righthander cruised through the next two innings _ finishing with 56 pitches _ to continue a strong spring training as he bids to solidify the No. 4 spot in the rotation.
