Zach Thorntons fearless outing earns him another start in Mets thin rotation

Zach Thornton hasn’t found a way to stick in the Mets rotation this season.That may change after his performance Sunday, perhaps the lone bit of optimism after another disappointing defeat.The rookie left-hander, who lacks a dominant repertoire, has impressed the organization with his ability to make the most of his arsenal.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

He did it again in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Boston, when he tossed seven shutout innings against a solid lineup.Interim manager Andy Green said the 24-year-old would make his next start in the majors, which is hardly a surprise considering the state of the rotation.“He attacked, was aggressive and had tempo,” Green said.“He missed barrels.

… For us, that is what we want to see out of him.”It’s more than they have seen from most of their rotation, which consists of Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Sean Manaea, as well as Freddy Peralta — who figures to be moved prior to the Aug.3 trade deadline.Thornton said he relied on throwing all five of his pitches for strikes, which is how he can get by with a four-seamer that typically sits in the low 90s.“It’s the way I grew up watching the game,’’ Thornton said, noting Jacob deGrom as an example.“DeGrom would go seven or eight innings every time, through the lineup three or four times,’’ Thornton said.Thornton’s stuff won’t often be confused with deGrom’s, but his results Sunday were more than the Mets could have asked for.His previous two outings came with Triple-A Syracuse, but Thornton had already pitched well against the Phillies in his second start in the majors this season.He allowed just two hits and a pair of walks over his seven innings and needed just 82 pitches to do so.Thornton hardly broke a sweat through the first four innings.

He retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced, allowing only a leadoff walk in the second...