Mets right-hander Jose Butto struck out one and allowed three hits in two innings of Sunday's 3-1 spring training win over the Houston Astros, a start that caught manager Carlos Mendoza's eye.
"A lot of things," Mendoza said of what stood out in New York's second spring training game, "starting with Butto and the way he threw the baseball. He attacked the strike zone and was able to use all of his pitches. I thought he threw some good changeups and then a slider, first pitch, to a righty. I thought that was good.
"(Francisco) Alvarez, of course, with the homer. But overall, the way he worked with Butto was really good to see. ... There's a lot of good things that happened in that game today."
Butto, 25, had a 3.64 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in nine games (seven starts) last season.
"Last year was the first time I threw (the sinker), but now I feel more comfortable," said Butto, who threw 22 strikes on 39 pitches Sunday at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "Today we used more of it for righties. It's like a go-to pitch, so today we got a lot of results -- a lot of ground balls. So I really like it."
In addition to Butto's sinker, he has gotten "more comfortable" with his slider.
"Really good," Butto said. "In the beginning of camp, I talked to (pitching coach Jeremy) Hefner -- because last year, in spring training, it looked like a cutter, because it was a little harder. And now, when the season continues, I feel more comfortable with less velocity and more consistent. I control any (pitch) counts and feel good with that."
As Butto works through the spring, he keeps the focus on himself.
"I don't think too much about that," Butto said of his role. "I'm just thinking about my work, control what I can control, just go there and do my thing. It's me versus me, so I just try to do my job. That's it."
And while Butto came up through the organization as a starter, the 2017 signee from Venezuela is open to helping the Mets in any way.
"All my career, I've been a starter, but we've got to adjust," Butto said. "But I feel really good. I will be ready for any situation."