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With the Mets rotation in flux, they need Sean Manaea to be a stabilizing force.
And although he wasn't at his sharpest against the Phillies on Thursday night, the southpaw gave his team all he could, and it was enough in the Mets' 6-4 victory.
"He competed. He had to work; they made him work," manager Carlos Mendoza said of his starter's game. "And on a day where maybe he’ll tell you that he wasn't at his best with how crisp he was with his pitches, he found a way, for the first time, going back out for the sixth innings, over 90 pitches and he got the job done."
Thursday was just Manaea's second start of the season after beginning the 2026 campaign in the bullpen as a long man. It's the second time he pitched into the sixth inning -- he went six in his previous start -- but it was the first time the southpaw eclipsed 90 pitches in a game. And Manaea was quick to be critical of his evening, as Mendoza alluded to.
Manaea said only one pitch worked for him on Thursday, but he had to make do.
"Sweeper was really good. I would say that," Manaea said semi-sarcastically. "Couldn’t get my fastball glove side, that was pretty annoying. And couldn’t get the cutter for a strike that was also annoying. But I thought the sweeper was really good today."
Manaea said that while he couldn't execute his pitches the way he wanted, they were effective enough to induce contact and get him through 5.1 innings. And he would need every out as the vaunted Phillies lineup had traffic on the bases early on. But Manaea would find ways to get out of it, allowing just two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
"Gave us a chance, limited damage when he needed to.," Mendoza said. "A couple of plays that didn’t go our way that could have helped him. But overall, he did a pretty good job for us."
Now that Manaea has started games twice in a row, he's getting into a routine that works for him. And he hopes that he can continue to be an effective starter as the Mets try and claw their way back to .500.
With Thursday's win, they have now won two in a row and, despite their record (34-41), are playing better of late. Manaea feels that the team is in an upswing and he hopes to contribute to this run.
"We’re starting to play really good baseball," Manaea said. "I’m just really happy to help the boys who have responded this season."
Continue reading...
And although he wasn't at his sharpest against the Phillies on Thursday night, the southpaw gave his team all he could, and it was enough in the Mets' 6-4 victory.
"He competed. He had to work; they made him work," manager Carlos Mendoza said of his starter's game. "And on a day where maybe he’ll tell you that he wasn't at his best with how crisp he was with his pitches, he found a way, for the first time, going back out for the sixth innings, over 90 pitches and he got the job done."
Thursday was just Manaea's second start of the season after beginning the 2026 campaign in the bullpen as a long man. It's the second time he pitched into the sixth inning -- he went six in his previous start -- but it was the first time the southpaw eclipsed 90 pitches in a game. And Manaea was quick to be critical of his evening, as Mendoza alluded to.
Manaea said only one pitch worked for him on Thursday, but he had to make do.
"Sweeper was really good. I would say that," Manaea said semi-sarcastically. "Couldn’t get my fastball glove side, that was pretty annoying. And couldn’t get the cutter for a strike that was also annoying. But I thought the sweeper was really good today."
Manaea said that while he couldn't execute his pitches the way he wanted, they were effective enough to induce contact and get him through 5.1 innings. And he would need every out as the vaunted Phillies lineup had traffic on the bases early on. But Manaea would find ways to get out of it, allowing just two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
"Gave us a chance, limited damage when he needed to.," Mendoza said. "A couple of plays that didn’t go our way that could have helped him. But overall, he did a pretty good job for us."
Now that Manaea has started games twice in a row, he's getting into a routine that works for him. And he hopes that he can continue to be an effective starter as the Mets try and claw their way back to .500.
With Thursday's win, they have now won two in a row and, despite their record (34-41), are playing better of late. Manaea feels that the team is in an upswing and he hopes to contribute to this run.
"We’re starting to play really good baseball," Manaea said. "I’m just really happy to help the boys who have responded this season."
Continue reading...
