The Mets have 67 games remaining to maintain or improve upon their current playoff position, and the contributions of two former All-Star pitchers will be tantamount to achieving that once-inconceivable goal.
No. 1 starter Kodai Senga hasn’t thrown a pitch in the majors this season due to shoulder and triceps injuries, and closer Edwin Diaz has been up-and-down at best in his comeback after missing all of 2023 due to knee surgery.
That’s where it starts for first-year manager Carlos Mendoza’s squad.
Senga is expected back in the starting rotation as early as next weekend, after one more minor league rehab start in the coming days, and the 2023 All-Star immediately would jump to the head of the snake.
If Senga can replicate anything close to the pitcher who went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 29 starts as the Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2023, the Mets will be adding a frontline starter to a rotation that more than held its own during the team’s 25-11 surge to close the first half.
Diaz has not been close to the dominant closer he was when he posted a 1.35 ERA and a whopping 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings two years ago.
Those numbers have declined sharply — 4.06 ERA and 12.5 K/9 — in 26 appearances this season, which has included one stint on the injured list and a 10-game suspension for being caught using sticky stuff.
The Mets (49-46) are planning to shift to a six-man rotation once Senga returns, which also will afford an extra day between starts for rookie Christian Scott.
Lefty Sean Manaea, who will get the ball Friday night in Miami, rebounded from two poor outings to open June (11 earned runs in 9 ¹/₃ innings) to post a 2.02 ERA over his past six starts to lower his overall ERA to 3.46.
That represents the 12th-best figure among qualifying pitchers in the National League.
The Mets announced the remainder of their rotation coming out of the break, with Jose Quintana and Luis Severino following Manaea against the Marlins.
That means that Severino once again will not face the Yankees, his former team, later in the week in the Subway Series.
The more pertinent question for the Mets for the remainder of the season will be in their bullpen, though Dedniel Nunez and converted starter Jose Butto made unexpected contributions when injuries arose and will continue to receive opportunities.
This also figures to be an area team president David Stearns attempts to address ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, along with possibly another outfield bat if it is deemed that Starling Marte won’t return this season.
Hitting hardly has been a problem for the Mets for weeks, with the return from the injured list of Francisco Alvarez, the emergence of veteran DH J.D. Martinez, and third baseman Mark Vientos significantly lengthening the lineup beyond stars Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso.
Over the past 30 days, the Mets have posted the most runs, home runs (tied with Colorado) and the highest OPS (.812) in the National League.
If they continue to maintain that level offensively, a strong stretch run by both components of the pitching staff — led by Senga and Diaz — could make the difference in qualifying for postseason play.
The Mets will begin play Friday in the third wild-card position in the NL, one game clear of the Diamondbacks and the Padres.
They are a half-game behind the Cardinals and four behind the Braves in the battle for the first two wild-card spots.
