Sean Manaea makes deals, Phillies reel as Mets take lead in NLDS: Takeaways

By Will Sammon, Matt Gelb, Tim Britton and Jen McCaffrey

NEW YORK – The New York Mets are one win away from winning the National League Division Series.

Thanks to seven confident innings from Sean Manaea, solo home runs from Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker and a convincing two-run single from Starling Marte, the Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 and took a 2-1 lead.

Until Tuesday, Manaea had struggled in four previous postseason appearances, but his performance against the Phillies marked by far his best performance of October. The left-hander pitched seven scoreless innings before allowing the first batter, Edmundo Sosa, to reach in the eighth inning, ending the game to a standing ovation. Sosa scored later as Manaea finished with one run allowed on three hits and two walks and had six strikeouts.

The Mets offense gave him an early lead and safety a little later.

For the third time in four games, Alonso hit a home run in the second to put the Mets on the field. After narrowly missing a home run in his first attempt at bat on a catch by Nick Castellanos against the wall in the right corner, Winker made it 2-0 in the fourth inning with a mammoth shot into the upper deck at Citi Field.

JESSE WINKER TO THE SECOND DECK! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/6oNliKvR7L

– MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2024

The Mets had one home run in their first four postseason games, but now have six in their last two games.

Manaea ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth when he walked the first two batters before a strikeout by Bryce Harper changed the momentum, followed by a timely double play when Castellanos walked to second baseman Jose Iglesias, who walked to shortstop Francisco Lindor switched to end the game inning.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola, who led the National League with 30 home runs allowed this season, failed to record an out in the sixth as the first three batters reached base. Reliever Orion Kerkering nearly got out of the bases-loaded jam, but with two outs, Marte's two-run single extended the Mets' lead.

An inning later, Iglesias assured the Mets even more by driving in two more runs on a single with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the eighth, Lindor drove in another run for the Mets with a double that scored JD Martinez.

The Phillies scored two runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Harper and Castellanos.

Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:08 p.m. ET.

Sean Manaea was masterful

Although the Mets had an off day on Monday, it was imperative for Manaea to go as deep as possible on Tuesday. Simply put, the Mets bullpen is suffering from the inevitably heavy workload of the last few weeks and is showing signs of fatigue. Plus, they simply don't have a variety of attractive options for high-leverage situations. With his pitch in the eighth inning, Manaea got the job done.

Manaea mixed things up masterfully. After making just one switch to a left-handed batter since the All-Star break, the left-hander relied on the pitch during a crucial sixth inning. He threw four left-to-left changes, none bigger than a swinging strike, to launch an attack against Harper with runners on first and second. In the end, Manaea Harper hit three shots with consecutive sweeps. Both the sweeper and changeup acted as effective complements to the sinker, his primary offering. He deftly used all three pitches to hold the Phillies to one run, three hits and two walks against him, and also struck out two batters.

The Mets signed Manaea in the offseason to help stabilize their rotation. Instead, he led it. In six postseason games, the Mets have received at least six innings from their starting pitcher four times. (Kodai Senga's two-inning start in Game 1 of the NLDS was designed to be short.) Manaea's start stands out as the best of all time.

A missed opportunity cemented the game

The Mets' bullpen moved as Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner issued consecutive walks to start the sixth inning. It was still a two-run game. Reed Garrett, a right back, warmed up quickly. New York pitching coach Jeremy Hefner visited the mound to speak with Manaea, who had to throw strikes to Harper with the crucial runs on base.

Manaea was on the ropes.

But Harper hit hard on all three throws Manaea threw his way. Castellanos hit an 0-2 changeup directly to the second baseman for an easy double play. Those three outs on six pitches (plus two insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning) helped the Mets keep Manaea in the game. He got through the seventh inning quickly, needing only seven pitches.

It looked all too familiar to the Phillies. The Schwarber and Turner walks were two of their better at-bats of the night. Manaea's command faltered, then the Phillies made it easier for him by chopping.

They hit better in the first three innings of the game but had nothing to show for it. Austin Hays, a right-hander inserted into the lineup to face Manaea, was not effective. Hays went 0 of 3 and only saw eight shots. The Phillies could opt for Weston Wilson in left field in Game 4 over another Mets lefty starter, Jose Quintana.

Pete Alonso remains hot

Sixteen days ago, before his final plate appearance in the last scheduled Mets home game of the regular season, Alonso received a standing ovation.

“It was a picture book,” he said.

He had no idea.

While Alonso and the Mets always expressed optimism that they would be playing at Citi Field again this season, they couldn't have imagined the circumstances – the string of stunning victories that got them here and Alonso's seismic role in it.

ANOTHER OPPO TACO FROM PETE ALONSO LAUNCHES! 🎃 #NLDS pic.twitter.com/Xn6zYQOctp

– MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2024

When he took the stage for the first time on Tuesday, there was nothing but love from a fan base whose support for Alonso had previously wavered this season. And he gave them plenty of reasons to cheer again.

Alonso took Nola's first-pitch fastball the other way – all to the opposing field – for his third home run in the last four games, opening the score. He continued his mastery against Nola, now striking out six times in just over 50 at-bats.

Aaron Nola loses command at an inopportune moment

Through the first five innings, Nola limited the damage. He threw two meatballs to Alonso and Winker, who connected for long solo home runs. But he threw strikes while the Mets' hitters took aggressive swings on the first pitch. He lost control in the sixth, starting with an outstanding eight-pitch strike from Mark Vientos. He hit a single to left.

Nola went for a walk with Brandon Nimmo, which prompted a visit to the hill. The Phillies had a right-hander (Kerkering) and a left-hander (Matt Strahm) ready in the bullpen. They let Nola face Alonso a third time. He completed a six-pitch walk to load the bases.

Kerkering was just a stone's throw away from escaping unscathed. The inning might have turned out differently if Kerkering had faced Alonso — or if Sosa had sent him a clean nubber hit with the infield. The Phillies might have pulled off a one-two punch. They decided on one at the plate.

Nola's outing was fine until the sixth. But without run support, the Phillies needed something even better.

(Photo by Sean Manaea: Elsa/Getty Images)