The New York Mets have seemingly been patching together their pitching staff for the better part of the last week. After Saturday’s game, the team announced that left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea will start game No. 162. With the game being a must win, and Manaea’s recent struggles, a short leash will likely be had. So, who is available behind Manaea in the finale?
One would assume that David Peterson would be one of the first options behind his lefty counterpart. Peterson last pitched on Tuesday, and only threw 42 pitches as he struggled once again. The potential issue with pitching Peterson in a big spot is over his last five starts, he has allowed at least three or more runs and has an ERA of 12.54. However, he has shown to be effective out of the bullpen in big spots previously.
In addition to Peterson, Huascar Brazobán, Ryan Helsley, Dylan Ross, Gregory Soto, and Ryne Stanek all had the day off Saturday.
Soto (27 pitches) and Brazobán (19 pitches) both threw on Friday, but prior to that, each last pitched on Tuesday. Hesley, who has been extremely effective over his last five outing, last pitched on Wednesday, throwing a season-high two innings, needing 24 pitches. However, before that, he last worked September 20 against Washington. Stanek has been the “busiest” of the bunch, as he last threw on Thursday (12 pitches), but needed 25 pitches on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Ross, who is awaiting a major-league debut, has not pitched in a professional game since September 21 with Triple-A Syracuse.
The group of relievers who saw action Saturday included Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers, and Edwin Díaz. Fortunately, none of the three needed more than 13 pitches to get their respective job completed.
Raley threw 13 pitches, and, despite appearing twice in the series in Chicago, only needed 14 pitches on Thursday and five pitches on Tuesday. So, he should be fresh and ready to go if needs be on Sunday. Rogers, who is tied for the league-lead in appearances from a reliever, also pitched Tuesday and Thursday in Chicago. Notably, he threw 31 pitches on Tuesday. But, given his pitching style, and the fact he had off Friday, before only throwing 11 pitches on Saturday, an appearance Sunday if needed seems likely.
The last of the bunch is Edwin Díaz. The Mets’ closer pitched the ninth inning of the 5-0 Mets’ victory Saturday. He also threw Thursday, but only needed eight pitches after notching a two-inning save on Tuesday. Given he only threw 13 pitches on Saturday, and eight on Thursday, he will certainly be available for the finale and will likely have the capabilities to be pushed past one inning if needed.
Long story short, the Mets’ should have all hands on deck on Sunday. Even someone like Jonah Tong should hypothetically be available to manager Carlos Mendoza if needed. Of course, the Mets need a little help, however, as it relates to their own game, the availabilities and freshness of their pitching is in a decent spot.
