Friday, August 21, 2026 • 7:40 PM
Rate Field • Chicago, IL
LHP Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.22) vs. LHP Sean Burke (7-6, 3.15)
WPIX

The Mets look to keep the good times going in Chicago! They are fresh off of a series win against the Padres and have won 11 of their last 15 games. They are now only 2 1/2 games back of the Nationals for fourth place in the division. The White Sox are sitting on top of the AL Central while being five games above .500. They have gone .500 in their last 10 games. It’s a battle of the Seans tonight!

Sean Manaea by Berto Carlo

Mets Lineup

  1. A.J. Ewing – CF
  2. Francisco Lindor – SS
  3. Bo Bichette – DH
  4. Carson Benge – RF
  5. Jared Young – 1B
  6. Luis Robert Jr. – LF
  7. Brett Baty – 3B
  8. Marcus Semien – 2B
  9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Sean Manaea

Manaea has pitched in 26 games this season. Over that span, he’s totaled 111 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.315 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He got hit a bit more in his last start, allowing four runs over 6 1/3 innings in a game the Mets won 5-4 over the Washington Nationals. In his last five starts, he has pitched 31 2/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA (4.14 FIP) while striking out 32 batters. He also pitched at least six innings in each of those five starts.

The White Sox have the following career stats against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Chase Meidroth – 2B
  2. Munetaka Murakami – 1B
  3. Miguel Vargas – 3B
  4. Randal Grichuk – LF
  5. Colson Montgomery – DH
  6. Brenton Doyle – CF
  7. Luisangel Acuña – SS
  8. Jake Rogers – C
  9. Tristan Peters – RF

Sean Burke has pitched in 25 games, including 21 starts, totaling 140 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.107 WHIP and a 134 ERA+ this season. He is also leading the league with 10 wild pitches. Similar to Manaea, Burke is coming off of a start where he allowed four runs over 4 1/3 innings. That bad start ended a streak of good outings where he had a 1.47 ERA (2.20 FIP) over seven games (43 innings).

The Mets have the following career stats against him:

Game Notes

  • The Mets have swept the White Sox in each of their last two trips to Rate Field, which came in 2024 and 2019.
  • Mark Vientos is hitting third for Double-A Binghamton tonight as he begins his rehab assignment. He’s been on the injured list since July 10 after suffering a fractured right hand.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Reunions Everywhere. Robert Jr. returns to Rate Field for the first time since the trade that brought him to the Mets. He’s had a difficult year with New York, but since returning from the injured list, he’s been showing some pop. Acuña will face the Mets for the first time since that trade as well. He is currently hitting .237/.269/.538 with a 53 OPS+. Huascar Brazobán had a 2.56 ERA over 52 2/3 innings with the Mets. Since being traded to the White Sox, he has a 5.63 ERA over eight innings.
  2. Contain Murakami. Murakami has been hitting bombs this year for the White Sox; he has 29 home runs in 92 games. He’s also slashing .227/.363/.530 with 69 walks, 132 strikeouts and a 149 OPS+. In his last two games, though, he has gone 0-for-9, so it feels like he might be due to hit a homer.
  3. Carson Benge. Benge is coming off of a game where he went 2-for-4 with his 15th home run of the season. He is only five home runs and two stolen bases away from a 20/20 season in his rookie year. Benge has been a true bright spot on this team and is just building a portfolio right now for a possible National League Rookie of the Year award.

Let’s go Mets!