“Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, we need those guys” - Mets skipper sounds alarm amid postseason push

The New York Mets lost more ground on National League East leaders the Philadelphia Phillies after a disappointing 9-3 loss against the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

With the series on the line, the Mets made a strong start to the rubber game at Nationals Park as starting pitcher Sean Manaea went scoreless over the first three innings while striking out seven batters.

The Mets held a 2-0 advantage after Manaea's strong start. However, the Mets ace ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings, conceding four runs to surrender the advantage as the Nationals turned around things to take a 5-3 lead.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza sounded the alarm bells for his players after the game.

“A lot of different parts, but it starts with our starters, starting pitching," Mendoza said on the team's struggles. They set the tone. When they go, the whole team pretty much goes. Talking about Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, we need those guys.

After a promising start, Sean Manaea ended with 4.2 IP, conceding four earned runs with eight strikeouts.

Sean Manaea, Mets bullpen collapsed in rubber game against Nationals

While Sean Manaea's poor fifth inning allowed the Nationals a way back into the game, the Mets bullpen capitulated in the eighth inning to blow their chances of a comeback.

Veteran reliever and former World Series winner Ryan Stanek had a nightmare outing as the 34-year-old conceded a three-run home run to James Wood in a four-run eighth inning.

An explosive eight-inning saw the Nationals ease to a 9-3 win at the end as the Mets lost for the sixth time in the last 10 games. They are not seven games behind the Phillies at the top of the NL East.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash