The New York Mets picked Sean Manaea to start the regular-season finale Sunday against the Miami Marlins in a must-win game with the final playoff spot on the line.<\/p>\n
Their only path to the postseason is a win over the Marlins, combined with a Cincinnati Reds loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.<\/p>\n
On the surface, such a scenario may not seem like an ideal situation for Manaea, who carries a 5.80 ERA. But the Mets are dealing with less-than-ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n
The choice for Sunday\u2019s starter\u00a0essentially\u00a0came down to Manaea, David Peterson (both lefties) or an opener. In rolling with Manaea, the Mets made a relatively conservative\u00a0selection, though they\u2019ll be prepared to act aggressively with changes if necessary.<\/p>\n
The Mets prefer Manaea\u2019s swing-and-miss stuff over Peterson against Miami\u2019s contact-oriented lineup,\u00a0people familiar with the club\u2019s thinking said. Manaea\u2019s strikeout rate (28.1 percent) and whiff rate (26.4 percent) are better than Peterson\u2019s (20.7 percent and 24 percent). Neither pitcher boasts even decent overall numbers since the second half, though.<\/p>\n
Despite an 8.42 ERA over his past nine starts, Peterson presented the most conventional route because he\u2019d be working on four days\u2019 rest and hasn\u2019t come out of the bullpen this season like Manaea. But with Peterson, the ball is in play too much. The Mets\u2019 defense is not good. The Marlins\u2019 lineup doesn\u2019t contain high-profile sluggers, but their 79.2 percent contact rate in the second half is the fourth highest in MLB.<\/p>\n
With the state of their staff, Clay Holmes provided Mets exactly what they needed and then some with a quality start. Despite appearing in Wednesday\u2019s game, he threw six scoreless innings today. After spending the previous six seasons as a RP, he made 31 starts, had a 3.53 ERA.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Will Sammon (@WillSammon) September 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Though he is not starting, Peterson figures to play a role somehow Sunday. The Mets have a few different plans throughout the game, and plenty depends on the Marlins\u2019 lineup. To its credit, Miami has treated these final games seriously despite getting eliminated before the series. They\u2019ve used multiple pinch-hitters; they can platoon at a couple of positions, creating different possible batting orders.<\/p>\n The Mets are not using an opener like Huascar Brazoban (a right-hander) because the Marlins could\u2019ve stacked left-handed batters. Brazoban doesn\u2019t generate a lot of whiffs. Left-handed batters own a .883 OPS against him. This is where Reed Garrett\u2019s injury hurts the Mets; the right-handed reliever is more platoon-neutral.<\/p>\n Right-handed starter Jonah Tong is also available \u2014 along with the rest of the Mets\u2019 bullpen. Clay Holmes\u2019 length Saturday (six shutout innings) limited the Mets\u2019 bullpen usage to single innings from Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Edwin D\u00edaz. Plus, D\u00edaz told The Athletic\u2019s Tim Britton that he\u2019d be ready to go for six outs if needed<\/a>.<\/p>\n But it all starts with Manaea.<\/p>\n Manaea\u2019s struggles tell the story of the Mets\u2019 season. He had a career-best season last year. He ended up re-signing with New York. He entered 2025 as the club\u2019s most dependable starter. Much like the difference between the 2024 Mets and the 2025 Mets, however, this year hasn\u2019t been as magical for Manaea. Injuries sidelined him until before the All-Star break. Since August, Manaea has a 7.34 ERA.<\/p>\n Manaea last pitched Wednesday when he allowed two runs in one inning out of the bullpen. In the prior couple of turns through the rotation, he was used in tandem with Holmes. Leading up to the final week, Manaea said he has felt better about his stuff.<\/p>\n (Top photo of Sean Manaea: Heather Khalifa \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n