Missing the playoffs is becoming a genuine concern for the New York Mets.
After dropping the first two games of their series against the rival Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets were a season-worst nine games out of first place at the conclusion of play on Tuesday. More crucially, their lead over the San Francisco Giants for the third wild card spot shrank to two games.
It’s hardly the time for a starting pitcher to be trying to find his form, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Sean Manaea. The lefty, who was nails for the Mets during their stretch run last season, allowed four earned runs in five innings on Tuesday to put his season ERA at 5.76 through 50 innings.
It’s the kind of performance that would warrant a demotion from the rotation, but according to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, the 33-year-old will continue taking the ball, at least in the short term.
“This is a guy that we’re counting on,” Mendoza said, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “He was huge for us last year. I know this has been a struggle for him, and obviously he’s frustrated, too.
“But we’re going to need this guy. We brought this guy in here to make an impact, and our job is to continue to help him. Obviously the last three innings were a lot better, and hopefully he can take some positives out of this outing with that.”
Mendoza pledged that Manaea would get a start during the Mets’ series next week against the San Diego Padres, the team directly ahead of them (by three games) in the wild card picture.
The Mets are attempting to balance making the playoffs with developing three rookie starters, all of whom debuted within the last month. It’s necessitated a de facto six-man rotation, and New York needs Manaea to fill out that group after optioning Kodai Senga to Triple-A.
Now is the time when the Mets need their big-money players to step up. And Manaea, who got a three-year, $75 million deal this offseason, has to snap into form quickly to validate that deal in any fashion this season.
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