NEW YORK -- As he's grown over the past year as a pitcher, Ryne Nelson has learned to put the results of a start -- good or bad -- behind him quickly and focus on the next one.
But there's little doubt that the right-hander was itching to take the mound Wednesday after his first two starts of the year didn't go the way he wanted.
From his very first pitch of the game, Nelson had an edge to him as he bullied the Mets' hitters with his fastball on a windy and cold evening at Citi Field, as the Diamondbacks evened the series with a 7-2 win.
In his first two starts of the year, Nelson allowed 11 runs (six earned) over 9 1/3 innings, with five of those runs coming in the fifth inning of his previous outing when the inning spiraled on him after an ABS challenge went against him to start the frame.
On Wednesday, Nelson held the Mets to just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. And while he walked six in his first two starts, he did not issue a free pass in this one while striking out five.
"I think I made some adjustments from the last few games," Nelson said. "I was just trying to be more over the plate, be more ahead in counts and just pitch the way that I feel like I know I can. I think that today was a good step in the right direction."
Nelson's fastball velocity was right around his season average (96.5 mph) early in the game, but as the sun went down and the wind picked up, it went down a tick.
That didn't seem to keep Nelson from being effective as he gave up just two hits through the first five innings. Of his 86 pitches, 65 were four-seam fastballs and he threw 14 sliders.
"Cold day like today, it can be kind of tough to feel the spin [for breaking pitches]," Nelson said. "But that just allows me to use the fastball more, which I want to do anyway and jump ahead of guys, pound the zone with it."
The Diamondbacks gave him some early runs to work with thanks in large part to Corbin Carroll.
Carroll, who was playing in his 500th Major League game, doubled and scored in the first inning, then doubled home a pair of runs in a four-run second inning that gave Arizona a 5-0 lead.
Carroll finished the day 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple.
The triple by Carroll tied him with David Peralta for second on the team's all-time list with 46. It was Carroll’s third triple of the year, and he has led the National League in triples in each of his first three full seasons in the big leagues.
When he was rounding second for his triple Wednesday, Carroll's helmet came flying off as it often does when he's headed for third, but this time it clanked against the back of his leg.
"My calf was hurting when I got back in the dugout, and I thought it just cramped or something," Carroll said.
It wasn't until he was shown the replay during a postgame TV interview that he realized the helmet had hit the calf.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo has said that while he normally watches the fielders and how they're set up for cuts and relays when one of his players is taking extra bases, he can't help but watch Carroll and marvel at how fast he gets around the bases.
Carroll was asked if he normally hears the crowd roar as he races for third base.
"No, honestly I can't," Carroll said. "It's kind of that blackout or silent thing."