Sean Manaea surrenders two runs in no-decision

After a scoreless first inning, the Braves put a run on the board against Manaea with a base hit and a double in the second inning. Eli White later took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth inning. Manaea would go on to toss two more scoreless frames, pitching well overall for a quality start. He struck out six. It was Manaea’s longest outing of the season and his first traditional start. Still, he’s pitched well over the last six weeks, posting a 3.33 ERA since the start of May. He’ll take a 4.78 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 51/17 K/BB ratio across 49 innings into a start against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Thursday.

The surprising velocity jump Manaea enjoyed in his first outing as a bulk guy did not carry over to today; he averaged 89.7 mph with his sinker, which was also his average for the year before he suddenly surged to 91.7 mph Monday against the Mariners. He proved adequate but nothing more than that today, which might increase the chances of him returning to a more traditional relief role after Kodai Senga comes off the IL. Before then, Manaea could face the Braves on Friday or Saturday.

Sean Manaea will likely again function as a bulk guy after doing a great job Monday against the Mariners. Brazobán thus far has allowed four runs over six innings in five appearances as an opener.

Manaea departed the game in line for the win, but Brooks Raley gave up a game-tying homer immediately afterwards. Even though this was set to be Manaea’s longest outing of the year, he found some extra velocity tonight, averaging 92.1 mph with his sinker. He had previously averaged 89.7 mph this year. Last year, he came in at 91.7 mph. If that gain sticks around, he could prove to be a viable mixed-league pitcher. However, he probably needs another strong outing right away this weekend against the Padres to avoid being sent to the pen if Kodai Senga rejoins the rotation next week.

David Peterson’s demotion to the bullpen in conjunction with nebulous roles for Jonah Tong and Sean Manaea have created an opportunity for Senga to have a meaningful role with the Mets again. The 33-year-old will make his likely final rehab start later this week before returning to New York’s pitching mix, most likely as a traditional starter, at some point next week.

Sean Manaea will be given the opportunity to work as a bulk reliever, likely behind an opener, in Peterson’s spot in the rotation beginning on Monday. The last straw for Peterson appears to have been giving up six runs on 11 hits over five innings against the Reds on Tuesday. He holds a miserable 5.57 ERA and 1.67 WHIP across 53 1/3 innings on the season.

There was plenty of good to pull from this outing by Manaea. Following opener Tobias Myers, he had plenty of luck against a left-handed heavy Marlins lineup. He also threw his fastest pitch of the season at 93.9 mph and saw the average velocity of every pitch in his repertoire up a couple of ticks. That’s a great sign for someone who’s struggled to get their velocity up thus far. He also commanded his sweeper a good bit better than he has otherwise this season and he’s now thrown 55 and 65 pitches in his last two outings. He could be working towards relative viability.

Manaea has consistently topped three innings over six relief appearances this season and holds a pedestrian 4.66 ERA across 19 1/3 innings of work during that span. There’s been zero indication that the Mets are considering moving him back to the rotation despite Kodai Senga and David Peterson scuffling in addition to Christian Scott getting lit up in his return to the majors earlier this week.

Mendoza added that they haven’t assessed whether Senga will make his next start, but he’s still getting the dreaded vote of confidence after being lit up for seven runs over 3 1/3 innings during Friday’s meltdown against the Cubs. The 33-year-old was tagged for six hits, including a pair of homers, in the abbreviated outing. It’s easy to write off one wind-fueled poor outing as an aberration, but Senga has coughed up seven runs in back-to-back outings. It would most likely be veteran lefty Sean Manaea, or someone like top pitching prospect Jonah Tong, moving into the rotation if New York decides to make a change. His stuff would certainly play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen. It’s been a disastrous season for the Mets overall, but they’re sticking with Senga for now.

Manaea now has a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings out of the pen, but his velocity still isn’t coming back; he topped out at 90.5 mph and averaged 89.2 mph with his fastball today. The Mets still might turn to him as their sixth starter at some point, but expectations shouldn’t be very high.