Mets Starters Keep Doing the Heavy Lifting

We knew the Mets had the lineup to win games, but many of us questioned the starting rotation at the start of the season. Not now. The starters are why this team is in contention for a wild-card berth.

Let us count the ways. Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana have contributed to team success by registering quality starts and being durable. Paul Blackburn has pitched well since being acquired by the Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline. David Peterson has been efficient since his call-up in late May after missing time with hip surgery in November.

Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.

It all adds up to this: it’s why the Mets can survive losing Kodai Senga for the season after he injured his calf on a fall in his lone start of the season against the Atlanta Braves in July. The starters have shown they have the goods to keep the team afloat.

Manaea pitched like an ace this season by going 9-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He has led the starters with 129 strikeouts, including striking out 11 Minnesota Twins and following it up by striking out 10 St. Louis Cardinals. He has thrown 130 innings this season and still has a chance to get to 200 innings. He developed a sweeper late in the season last year when he pitched for the San Francisco Giants, which intrigued Stearns enough to sign him.

He has now gone at least seven innings in three of his last four starts and five of his previous eight. All five of those seven-inning starts have come since July 1. Since then, no other pitcher on the Mets has pitched seven innings as many times as Manaea. Manaea’s ability to be a stopper gives the Mets a chance to win in September, and he will certainly get that opportunity. If all goes to plan, he can be a Game 1 starter in the playoffs. He also will get paid when he exercises his option to be a free agent this offseason.

Luis Severino (photo, Rising Apple)

Severino has been better than the Mets thought. They figured he would be decent enough when they signed him this offseason, and he has taken off since getting out of a bases-loaded jam in his first season start against the Cincinnati Reds. Severino is coming off his best performance of the season by pitching a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon.

He is 8-6 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. His ability to keep hitters off balance and his control helped him achieve 117 strikeouts. Most importantly, he has been healthy, which was not the case in his final years with the Yankees. The only question about Severino is whether he has enough to pitch in September. He hasn’t pitched this far into the season since 2018, so it is unfamiliar territory. He has thrown 142 innings already, and it will be interesting to see whether he holds up.

Despite his recent struggles, Quintana has been reliable. At times, it hasn’t been pretty, but he manages to get out of jams by getting a much-needed strikeout when he needs it the most. He has given the Mets a chance when he is out there.

Blackburn has been as good as advertised. He was coming off Sunday’s start when he allowed one earned run on four hits over six innings against the Marlins. In three of his four starts with the Mets, he has pitched six innings and allowed one earned run. He has been impressive, considering he was limited to nine starts this season due to a stress reaction in his right foot. What stands out about him is his excellent control, which allows him to throw strikes and get ahead of the hitters.

Peterson pitched an excellent game Monday night against a loaded Orioles lineup. He received a no-decision after he gave up two runs in the seventh, including a game-tying home run to Ramon Urias. Nevertheless, this was his best start, as he threw seven innings and struck out eight. If the umpire had not called a balk that sent Ryan Mountcastle home in that inning, he might not have given up the HR to Urias. While we’ll never know, he showed grit by striking out highly-touted Jackson Holliday to end the inning and keep the game tied at 3. That tie made it possible for Francisco Alvarez to hit his game-winning home run in the ninth inning.

David Peterson (photo, NY Post)

It was a fourth straight start in which Peterson has surrendered two earned runs or fewer (he allowed just five earned runs in 24 1/3 innings with a 1.85 ERA in those starts). He has given quality starts since his call-up by throwing strikes and not getting into big innings when he is on the mound. Believe it or not, he leads the team in ERA with 3.00. He is 7-1, and the Mets are 11-3 when he starts.

We always knew Peterson could pitch. Remember, he finished the season strong last year, producing a 3.88 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings over his ten starts. Having better control over the strike zone was a matter of maintaining his consistency, which he has found, moving freely and easily after hip surgery. He doesn’t have Senga’s stuff, but he is good enough for the Mets to offset Senga’s being out for the season.

The Mets figured things out in June as the offense started to get everything together. Now, the offense is scuffling. That’s the way it goes with hitting. It goes hot and cold. But pitching should never be hot or cold. The Mets starters are good enough to throw strikes, display confidence, and create a pace that enlivens their teammates and the home crowd.

The starters should give the Mets a shot at staying afloat in August and playing meaningful games in September. They can do the heavy lifting.

So the bottom line is clear: if the Mets are going to make the playoffs, it will be because of the starting rotation.