Can Sean Manaea Lead the Mets to a Wild Card Spot?

the New York Mets got their series off to a great start in Arizona can they keep the momentum going in game two I'll talk about that more on today's [Music] show you are locked on Mets your daily New York Mets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hello to all you amazing Mets fans you're watching locked on man part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day I'm here sh ficklin if you want to find any of my work follow me on X at finlin Ryan you can also find some my writing at just baseball.com where I work as the managing editor today's episode's brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account use the code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase terms apply download game time today what time is it game time well sha Andia was on Hill for the New York Mets on Tuesday to try to get this series off on a good note and he did exactly that he was brilliant in this start and he got plenty of run support it All Began in the second inning when Pete Alonzo hit his 28th home run of the season the 220th home run of his career which was a significant number as he tied Mike Piaza for the third most home runs in franchise history Piaza did that in 972 games pet Alonzo got to 220 in 816 games he has been the most prolific home run hitter in Met's history by home runs per game but he might not get a top this list that is a conversation for this off season but third is probably is going to finish this year only needs one more to pass Piaza for good and then it's David Wright who's 22 ahead of Alonzo and then you got Daryl strawberry who is 32 ahead of Pete Alonzo so again those two guys are going to be out of reach this year and whether he gets another shot to pass them will be decided this off season but getting back to this game later on in that second inning JD Martinez drew a walk that advanced to Third on a comeback off the bat of Tyrone Taylor where Brandon fought threw it into the Outfield so JD Martinez advances to third Taylor stayed at first Jeff mcdeal hits a would be double play of ball but he was running out of the box he beat it out and that allowed JD Martinez to score and sha manai had a two- nothing lead in early that's all he really needed but Jeff mcneel would start another rally in the fifth inning that resulted in a lot of runs for the New York Mets mcneel hit a lead off double would score on a base hit by Francisco Alvarez then you had Lindor and Vientos each single with Alvaro scoring on Vientos his hit Brandon nmo singled to load up the bases Jesse Winker hit a sacrific fly JD Martinez singled to load the bases again Jordan Montgomery came into the game for Brandon fought and he hit Tyrone Taylor in the foot that scored the fourth run of the inning sixth run of the game Jeff mcneel came back up he drew a walk a great at bat by Jeff that brought in another run then Francisco Alvarez reached on an error by Geraldo Pomo and the Mets had a six-run rally in that fifth inning giving them an eight to nothing lead they essentially cruised from there as I said manah was brilliant particularly through the first six Innings where he struck out 10 and allowed just one hit without walking a batter he did run into some trouble in the seventh inning giving up a leadoff Homer he then gave up a base hit got a pop out struck out his 11th batter of the day but Corbin Carroll got him for a two-run homer on a fast ball that he just didn't quite get all the way up Carol drives it out of the ballpark left on left and that ended the day for manah one out away from completing seven Innings but didn't matter the Mets Bullpen was able to hold on from there Reg came on made us all nervous uh he got a comebacker that was hit softly I guess softer than he expected and he got sniped from somebody had to be right because how else would he have fallen over his feet in that embarrassing of a fashion but he did can you believe they rolled that a hit I I get it I guess but how is that not an error uh anyway he gives up another hit after that before finally getting a pop out because that was the inning the Dbacks are a great offensive team and if that inning extended and Garrett started giving up runs we all would have been really nervous but they get through that seventh Phil mton comes on for the eighth he gives up a leadoff double Buckles in after that gets a couple of outs jock Peterson comes off the bench for a big spot the Mets had Danny Young ready he comes into the game left on left Strikes Out ja Peterson then in the ninth inning Adam mavino finishes the game with a perfect frame so overall solid work out of the bullpen and a great start by sha manah offensively really good game Lindor Vientos nmo and JD Martinez all had multi-hit nights Nimo had three hits hopefully that gets him going everyone in the lineup outside of Jesse Winker got a base hit in this game and Jesse Winker got a sacrific fly so in that sense everybody in lineup got either a hit or an RBI Mets racked up 13 hits two walks they actually left some opportunities on the table they were four for 16 we thr in scoring position but you put up eight runs doesn't really matter Jordan Montgomery though really saved the bullpen for the Diamondbacks because they were in that bull pen in the fifth inning but Montgomery still stretched out as a starting pitcher but now just pitching out of the pen gave them four and a third of kind of scoreless relief uh the runs that he gave up were charged to F but really settled in after that for them and that's big because moving forward that really good Bullpen for the Diamondbacks has now had two days of rest so the four form that I talked about going into this series it still holds true as I said you got to win these games early get great starting pitching and score runs against a Diamondback's rotation that can be beat because that Bullpen is really solid and now solid and rested very well with a lot of really good guys so we'll see what the Mets can do the Diamondbacks changed up their rotation a little bit going into this series we thought it was going to be Atuo Rodriguez who started this game it was Brandon f I want to talk about that switch up how the Mets are going to line it up and just give you another status update on the Wild Card race at large we'll get to all of that in just a minute first though quick word from our sponsors today's episode's brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and Patience are what brings some the winning trophy it is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance from superchargers to roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered through over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you always find exactly what you're looking for if EB's guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your 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doesn't you know end up throwing it belt high like he did at Corbin Carrol giving up that home run today you see guys just can't catch up to it because he gets great extension he's CU he's six foot six he's a big dude coming from that left side and he throws know nearly a sidearm and he gets so much ride on that pitch up in the zone even when it's 93 up it jumps on guys when he gets it up to 96 guys are just struggling to catch up to it and they struggle to lay off it and at times if they do lay off it it'll be called to Strike Up In the Zone he can paint it up there that pitch unlocks everything for him and today it was especially nasty threw it 24 times got 13 swings of those 13 swings eight of them were whiffs three of them were fouls only three ball were put in play on a foram fast ball and he got six called strikes as well so 17 of his 24 foram fast balls were strikes then there was some balls and then three put in play with percentage 62% again that is disgusting stuff from Sha manah and that really carries his Arsenal he throws that Sinker the most and that keeps the ball on the ground throw that low in the zone and then you got the sweeper that he can throw back door to steal strikes when you get a lefty up that can be his strike out pitch also has the change up he's just become a really good pitcher and the Mets are 18 and8 when sha manah takes the ball so that is really important and you look at what he's done since July he has gone seven Innings seven times in 11 starts and today or it's pitched into the seventh I should say seven times in 11 starts six times he completed all seven Innings today went six and two3 but the length he's giving the Mets now as their Ace it's been huge for this team and now it's up to Luis srino to carry on what or pick up what he put down to keep the momentum rolling here and beat this Diamondbacks team I talked about on yesterday's show in the final segment how Shawn manai and Luis srino have to be the guys that take the Mets to the playoffs this year it's on their shoulders they are the Frontline pitchers they might not have the flashiest names obviously you wish it was kodai Sena one of those spots but that's not going to happen this year it is on these two guys and maniah did his part so now it's up to sevie to do it as well as I mentioned the Diamondback shuffled their rotation around so fought went today that means Eduardo Rodriguez is going to pitch on Wednesday he's a left-handed starting pitcher a lot of experience of course a veteran who spent plenty of years in Boston last few in Detroit was hurt for pretty much all of this year he's made three starts since coming back this will be his four fourth you will see the righty lineup going up against him so imagine you're going to see a glacius back in the lineup Tyrone Taylor the way he's been swinging it lately maybe he gets another start Starling Marte should be in the lineup instead of Jesse Winker and hopefully nmo can carry over some of that momentum from today's three hit game and the mats can have another efficient night offensively hopefully they could have a couple big Innings and give Luis srino plenty of run support and we'll see how far SEI can take the Mets as I mentioned on yesterday's show the Diamondbacks are better when they face a righty than a lefty so that's something to Monitor and the Mets did the right thing to be able to attack the Diamondback's weakness David Peterson will be starting on Thursday against Ryan Nelson and when you think about the way this shapes up for the rest of the season you had 30 games left so six turns through the rotation sha Mani will start game 162 but the Mets also have some off days so if they wanted to at some point they could skip their fifth starter and that would allow them to potentially get another start out of Luis sevino they wanted to get crazy they can do that a couple of times with the off days they have and end up getting seven more starts out of sevie and Peterson I don't think they would do that because I think they value giving their guys that extra rest to keep them fresh down the stretch but it is good to know that the way everything's lined up sha Andi if that game 162 is the one that matters if the Mets can end up in the playoffs if they win that game good to know that Mani will be on the hill and everybody in this rotation now gets six more turns the question is going to be who is that fifth starter everyone believes Tyler McGill will get a start against the white sock which is a good team to have him come up in face it's essentially triple A team honestly with the amount of young players they have in their lineup so we'll see what McGill does in that start he probably gets a couple and honestly I think Jordan Montgomery sort of showcased the value that mon excuse me Jordan Montgomery showcased the value that migil could provide the Mets in September I think there's a world where when migil comes up he stays up and he's that ninth man that September call up if you were in the Mets Bullpen where when Blackburn's ready maybe he slides back into the rotation or maybe Blackburn's that guy but you look at this Bullpen right now for the Mets I I think this season it's really gonna come down to Edwin Diaz Danielle Nunes Jose budo Phil mton Danny Young has been throwing really well from the left side and then you have the three wild cards and Adam ovino Ryan stanick and Reed Garrett I think that's basically your group obviously we could see someone like Garrett if he continues to struggle get option and brazza Bond's with the team now I expect he'll be the roster move again when they do grab McGill but having a long man in that Bullpen like they had for large portions of this season with Adrien Hower I think that could be very beneficial down the stretch and maybe McGill gets to stick around so that if you have a game where Jose Katana gets knocked out in the third inning and you're not gonna win where you can put Migel into that game and maybe he saves the bullpen because every single game matters so much what Montgomery did for the Diamondbacks today really saves them in this series now they got a fresh Bullpen to try to win this series in these last two games hopefully the Mets can have something to say about that and they can win with sevie on the Mounds and who knows maybe they get greedy after that but uh definitely something that came to my mind when I saw what Jordan Montgomery did for the Dbacks today that oh maybe Miguel will make his two turns in the rotation and stick around beyond that as a long man for the Mets now when it comes to the Wild Card race the Mets did not lose any ground today but they didn't gain any the Braves won yet again and they got Chris S going for the final game of their series against the quids where they'll be angling for a sweep now I'm going to give you the glass half full approach about Chris H starting this game yes stands the reason the Braes probably win and complete that sweep although it is very hard to finish off a sweep against a good team and the twins are still a good team glass Hat full though is the fact that Chris S will not pitch in that series over the weekend against the Phillies in Philadelphia a four game set so if there's ever a time where the Mets can gain some ground this might be the weekend to do it if the Mets can find a way to beat the Diamond Backs in one of these two games and then they do what they're supposed to against the light Soxs hopefully the Mets can cut into that three-game lead that the Braves have behind the Mets you have a couple teams that are actually pretty close you have both the Giants and the Cubs that are two and a half games back and with the Giants I'm actually not that mad about that because I want them playing good baseball because they can really factor into this race when it comes to the and the Diamondbacks the Giants play both of those teams six more times so if the Braves are a rocket ship that is just going to take off down the stretch maybe one of those two teams can collapse and maybe the Giants could play a role in it we'll have to wait and see anyway though that's going to be all when it comes to our current 2024 coverage for the day because we got something completely different to close the show Jeff passon had some notes on free agency that will make you very interested we talked about Wan SoDo and the New York Mets and I'll give you that update in just a minute first though quick word from our sponsors today's episode's brought to you by liquid IV get hydrated with electrolytes essential vitamins and clinically tested nutrients from the number one powdered hydration brand in America liquid IV what I love about liquid IV is how it makes you feel from just the taste alone is awesome right I love my strawberry lemonade but you feel so much more hydrated when you drink it it's convenient just tear open a pouch pour it into 16 ounces of water you're good to go 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questions anytime you also can take part in our lock on met sign photo giveaways and you get the lineup Graphics sens to your phone each day so noce in the starting lineup of that ever having to go on social media if you want to be locked on Mets Insider find the link in the episod description go to sub.com loock onms the New York Mets were in the news today attached to Juan SoDo it's a a little bit early to talk freee agency but when one of the most prominent if not the most prominent MLB Insider puts it out there that the free agency of woto is expected to come down to the Mets or the Yankees we got to at least spend a segment on it so let's just go through what Jeff passon said in his free agent notebook if you're not an ESPN plus subscriber not something you can read but it was a very interesting article where he talked about really all the top free agents from stto to Corbin Burns To You know guys like Matt Chapman and Blake Snell he had them all in category so for Snell and Chapman it was um you know guys who are gonna be able to hit the market again I can't remember the exact phrasing uh I talked about Willie adamus his control of the market as a the only really stud shortstop available but when it comes to Juan stto this is what he said they're ultimately at most a handful of Spenders for the biggest free agents in soo's case the bosson Red Sox Chicago Cubs and both Los Angeles teams could likely afford them but are long shots to make a real push I would throw the Giants in there too just because they're a team that likes to put big contracts forward but again they haven't been able to land these guys Seattle could use them but would be scared off by the money here's the money quote from the article from Jeff passon at the end of the day high ranking front office and ownership level sources believe the winter for stto is going to play out like this Yankees verse Mets Behemoth verse Behemoth I mean as much as I'm loving this season I can't wait for the off season now because that is going to be a free agent Pursuit for the ages we wondered when would Steve Cohen take on the New York Yankees in free agency when would it happen he's played nice up to this point but when they made that trade to get Wan sto that was the first time time where you thought maybe these teams are going to be in a battle for that player in a year and it seems like that battle's coming and I'm going to be very curious how it plays that and Francisco Lindor already doing some recruiting quote this is from Lindor to passing when it comes to the outfielder from across our burrow he's having a fantastic year I hope he goes out and breaks every record out there when it comes to getting paid if it's with us it'll be fantastic he'll help us a lot I'll tell you what Francisco Lindor has done exactly what he needed to to make the match an enticing free agent destination for Juan stto for everybody who wanted this team to sell and have another horrible year Juan SoDo is a reason why this has been a productive and successful season regardless of at the Mets make the playoffs because the Vibes are good around the Mets this is not a trash team going into an off season where they're going to have to really do everything they can to sell themselves as a destination Francisco Lindor can get on the phone with Juan stto and talk about what it's like to play in New York how he's had a great experience or S knows what it's like to play in New York now but what it's like to play in Queens for the Mets for this franchise and why this is a destination he should consider and he's not just blowing smoke up as you know what because the Mets have had a good season this year and had 101 win season in 201 22 there is something to build around in New York right now at the Mets and Lindor is the big selling point and he's having an MVP season that is going to make the Mets more attractive to all free agents but particularly to Juan stto where yes he's currently playing with the best player in baseball and Aaron judge and you know what I'll say it Aaron judge is better than sh Otani at hitting okay when Otani gets back on the mound he's gonna take that mantle again but when it comes to off offensive prowess there's no one better than Aaron judge and there's no Duo better than judge and stto potentially an be history with what they've done this year and the season they're going to put together when it's all said and done that's going to be very hard to walk away from but if the Mets put together an offer that he can't refuse and the Yankees don't match it and you're talking about the difference of $50 million or more maybe it comes down to years where the Yankees only go 10 but the Mets are willing to go 13 14 hell they could go 15 years if they wanted to the ju sort of free agenc is going to be very interesting because it depends on how much the Mets are willing to push the chips forward and this is the type of free agent That Never Comes Around we've had Bryce Harper and now it's Juan SoDo but this age of free agent it's SoDo it's Harper it's what bonds and A-Rod I have to even go back to see when bar Bonds hit fre agency but that's the thing it's just the once in a generation talent that hits the market at 26 years old and you have so much of his prime still left to Dream On And It lines right up with Francisco Lindor where that is your onew punch your best two players of Lindor and stto that can win you a championship I think Steve Cohen knows that and the Mets might spend big there and it does play into the conversation with pet Alonzo because I believe pet Alonzo becomes the Ultimate Backup plan for the Mets which is messed up to say for a guy that has done everything he can to be the franchise player up to this point in his career but he's a first baseman not necessarily a good one defensively his replacement is across the diamond right now in Mark Vientos the Mets aren't going to pay both I know that that some fans would say just get them both I can't see it if you're going to spend that much money on Juan stto a guy that could be a DH at some point you don't need pet Alonzo on a long-term deal as well and the Mets can sort of save money at third by sliding vantos to first kind of save money at both spots but if you have SoDo in your Outfield next year is Juan SoDo Brandon nmo Starling Marte Tyrone Taylor with Jeff mcneel and then potentially getting Drew Gilbert or jet Williams up they have a lot of guys that can filter in out there third base can be open competition between Ronnie Mauricio um you know Brett batty maybe even a Williams or auna potentially um and then also you'd be able to bring back Jose glacius on an affordable deal likely to give you that you know High floor Defender over at the position as well if the Mets land Juan sto they pretty much don't have to do anything else for their position player group next year and they can just add some pitching and be a ready-made Championship contender so the fact that everyone is sort of setting that stage and we've been hearing it all year but now it's getting close and it's Jeff passing it's not just couple you know gas bags on the radio talking about her myself at my own the podcast gas bag talking about it no this is the preeminent Baseball Insider Jeff passen whose words are gold in this industry saying he's talking to owners he's talking to GM and there's two teams that are way out ahead when it comes to those who could sign Juan sto it's his incumbent team the Yankees and it's the New York mets' be fascinating to see how the whole Pursuit will end up going down that's for the off season though we probably won't talk about it again until then but with the reports that came out today it was worth mentioning to close out the show thank you all for tuning in as always make sure if you're listening on the audio side you follow rate and review wherever get your podcast if you're watching on YouTube hit that subscribe button the 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