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The New York Mets have lost 12 of their last 14 games and occupy the final National League Wild Card spot. After the Cincinnati Reds won on Wednesday, their cushion is just one game. The Mets' pitching has been disastrous in recent weeks, and if the rotation behind David Peterson does not step up, they could miss the playoffs.
Peterson was disastrous on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, with six earned runs in 3.1 innings. That broke a streak of six consecutive starts with at least six innings pitched for Peterson. His Wednesday start has been similar to every start from New York's starting pitching in recent months.
Since June 11, Peterson is the only Mets pitcher to go six innings in a game, which he has done eight times since then. That stretch includes the injury returns for Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, which makes some of the short outings make sense. But Montas has been bumped from the rotation due to poor performances, and Manaea has a 4.33 ERA. While the team has collapsed, their pitching has been disastrous.
All of these short outings have put a lot of pressure on the Mets' bullpen. Even with Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto joining the team at the trade deadline, that group has not been able to drag them to victory. The starting rotation has to turn it around now for the Mets to run away from the pack and make the playoffs.
The one player that could change the Mets' playoff chances is Manaea. He re-joined the club on a three-year deal in the offseason after the best year of his career. If he can turn his season around and emerge as a great second starter, the Mets can get hot and put the Reds away.
The Mets have a massive pitching problem
During the offseason, the Mets spent a ton of money to improve their offense and change up their rotation. The headliner was Juan Soto's $765 million contract, but Pete Alonso stayed, Manaea stayed, and Montas and Clay Holmes joined the fray. In 2024, their rotation played a significant role in their playoff success. But they let Jose Quintana walk, and none of their replacements have been good.
Peterson has been sensational for the Mets. His bad start against the Braves should be no reason to panic, as the rest of his resume has been incredible. But the rest of their pitching, both starting and relieving, has to step up if they want to outrun the Reds. Pitching is Cincinnati's strength, especially with Hunter Greene's dazzling start coming off the injured list.
The offense for the Mets has been solid even through their dreadful 2-12 stretch. Soto has an .841 OPS with seven RBI in that stretch. Pete Alonso hit two homers in Tuesday's win over Atlanta, setting the franchise's all-time home run record. In the last 14 games, he has a .315 batting average, 1.072 OPS, and 17 runs driven in. Their offensive stars are flashing, but the results are not following.
The Mets need a pitcher to step up and follow Peterson with excellent starts to get the ball rolling. It is most likely to be Manaea, as he proved his excellent form last season. When he pitches, Kodai Senga is great, but he has not been healthy for much of his MLB career.
This stat from MLB.com's Anthony DiComo sums up all of the problems with the Mets' pitching staff this season. “The Mets have received 594 1/3 innings from their starters this season, which ranks 27th in the Majors. Since June 13 — a span of exactly two months — they are dead last in that category. They simply cannot keep doing this and expect to win consistently.”
The Mets finish off their series with the Braves on Thursday night.
