Sean Manaea Shines in First Six-Inning Start Since 2024 Playoffs

Sean Manaea showcased his return to form during Saturday afternoon’s pivotal matchup against the Braves, marking his first official start of the season. Although he was charged with the loss, the left-hander effectively kept the potent NL East leaders at bay, completing six innings for the first time since the 2024 playoffs.

The only blemish on Manaea’s performance came from Eli White, who struck an RBI double in the second inning to open the scoring. White then extended the Braves’ lead with his third home run of the season in the fourth inning. Despite these two runs, the 34-year-old southpaw demonstrated impressive control, limiting Atlanta to just four hits while striking out six batters without issuing any walks.

Notably, Manaea’s velocity was notably higher than his season average, a positive sign for the Mets. “That was huge,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “That’s the guy we’re going to need — for him to go out there and give us a chance today, he was very solid against a pretty good lineup over there. He used all of his pitches, competed in the strike zone, got swing-and-misses, and had a good pitch mix — that’s the guy we saw a lot in 2024. Big picture, that’s the guy we need moving forward.”

After a rocky start to the season that relegated him to a low-leverage bullpen role, Manaea has turned things around, posting a solid 3.33 ERA over his last eight appearances. In that stretch, he has surrendered only three home runs while striking out 28 batters, a stark contrast to his seven walks.

Feeling good about his progress, Manaea expressed optimism: “I’m excited with where I’m at and just want to keep this train rolling.” Mendoza echoed this sentiment, stating, “He continues to earn the opportunity. To go out there and have that type of outing today, he just puts himself in a way better position, and he’s going to only make us better moving forward.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.