The New York Mets are one win away from adding another memorable chapter to their storybook season.
On Tuesday, New York took a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series, securing a 7-2 home win against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets will have a chance to clinch their first playoff series at Citi Field, which opened in 2009, during Wednesday’s Game 4.
Here are three takeaways from the Mets’ win:
Mets’ Sean Manaea is ridding himself of his postseason demons
Manaea, who signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Mets this past offseason, emerged as an unlikely ace for the team, posting a 3.47 ERA across 32 regular-season starts. Entering October, the 32-year-old had a disastrous 15.26 ERA throughout his postseason career, but he’s proven during New York’s current run that he’s a different pitcher these days.
After allowing two runs in five solid innings in Game 2 of the wild-card series, Manaea was brilliant in his second postseason start on Tuesday. Manaea silenced the Phillies bats, allowing just one run on three hits with two walks in addition to racking up six strikeouts and 19 whiffs in seven innings.
The dominant outing was a tale of redemption for the veteran left-hander.
During Game 4 of the 2022 NLCS, Manaea, then a reliever for the Padres, was the losing pitcher in a 10-6 Phillies win that brought Philadelphia within one victory of reaching the World Series. Manaea was charged with five earned runs on four hits with two walks in just 1.1 innings in that contest.
Manaea’s performance on Tuesday was unquestionably a massive boost for a taxed Mets bullpen. New York will now enter Wednesday’s potential series-clinching matchup with its top relievers — Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett and Jose Butto — relatively fresh.
Phillies bats show up too late again
Manager Rob Thomson’s questionable lineup and bullpen decisions will be criticized even more harshly if the Phillies can’t advance past the Mets. However, while those are contributing factors, if Philadelphia gets bounced in the NLDS, it will primarily be because of its inconsistent lineup.
The Phillies bats came alive in Sunday’s 7-6 Game 2 win over New York, but went ice cold on Tuesday, much like they did in the series opener. Philly scored its only two runs in the eighth inning. As mentioned, Manaea was stellar for the Mets, though he did give Philadelphia an opportunity to flip the script in the sixth inning.
Trailing 2-0, Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber and shortstop Trea Turner recorded back-to-back walks to lead off the inning, bringing star first baseman Bryce Harper to the plate. The two-time NL MVP promptly struck out on three pitches before outfielder Nick Castellanos lined out to Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias, who doubled off Schwarber at second base to end the inning.
For Philadelphia to even up the series again, it must put pressure on the Mets by scoring early on Wednesday. After all, the team has just one total run — a Schwarber leadoff homer in Game 1 — across the first five innings of each game in the NLDS.
A red-hot Pete Alonso could swing the postseason race
The impending free agent endured the worst regular season of his career, producing a slash line of .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 RBI in 162 games. Even so, the “Polar Bear” is heating up at the perfect time for New York.
Alonso’s heroic go-ahead, ninth-inning home run during New York’s Game 3 win in the wild-card series appears to have injected new life into the four-time All-Star. After going 0-for-4 at the plate with one RBI in the Mets’ Game 1 win over Philadelphia, Alonso is batting .333 with two home runs, two RBI and three runs scored over his last two games.
Alonso, who entered Tuesday with a .320 batting average, five homers, and 11 RBI in his career against Phillies starter Aaron Nola, saw his success against the right-hander continue in Game 3. During the second inning, Alonso opened the scoring, sending the first pitch he saw over the fence in right field for a solo home run.
It’s fair to say that the two-time Home Run Derby champion has rediscovered his power, as all three of his postseason homers have been hit to the opposite field. If his hot streak at the plate continues, Alonso could not only lead the Mets past Philadelphia, but also go on to swing the outcome of the NLCS.