The Mets started their week in St. Louis for just one game before heading back west to take on the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. It was a week with mixed results that ranged from shutout victories to shutout losses for the Mets, who now find themselves a half game back of the Atlanta Braves for the third and final wild card spot in the National League.

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Pitcher of the Week: Paul Blackburn

Blackburn has shown the ability to pitch to contact and limit the damage once runners get on base, and his performance on Wednesday in Colorado was a reflection of that. There isn’t a whole lot of Blackburn’s game that jumps across the scorecard, but he is every bit of a gamer. In a hitter-friendly ballpark at Coors Field, he turned in a solid stat line of six innings, five hits, two walks, six strikeouts while allowing two runs (one earned).

In two starts with the Mets he’s been a very effective option in the starting rotation. While some fans wanted to see David Stearns swing a deal for a higher profile player, reports suggest the asking price for frontline starters were too high for Stearns’ liking. So far, Blackburn has been a welcomed addition to the backend of the rotation.

Honorable Mention: Sean Manaea

Manaea gets the nod for his outstanding performance on Monday against the Cardinals, despite getting roughed up in Seattle over the weekend where he lasted three innings with three runs charged to his name. Manaea pitched seven shutout innings, which included 10 strikeouts, Monday.

Hitter of the Week: Francisco Lindor

The offense over the weekend was about as bad as it’s been this season. They scored one run in 27 innings. But despite that, Francisco Lindor still produced, as he did in the four games previous to the weekend.

Across the week, Lindor had 10 hits (two doubles), scored three runs, knocked in three more, and stole a base. His slash line was .323/.344/.387/.721. It won’t go down as his best week as a Met, but he was one of the few consistencies in a week of no-shows.

Up Next

The Mets will have a much needed off day on Monday coming back home from the west coast. They have an opportunity in front of them to potentially make up some ground in the Wild Card race, hosting two teams that find themselves in last place of their respective divisions in the Oakland A’s and Miami Marlins. Blackburn will take the mound to make his third start in a Mets uniform on Tuesday night against his former team.