The Mets’ signing of Sean Manaea did not command much fanfare.
Added in the offseason as part of the Mets’ low-commitment rotation rebuild, the veteran left-hander arrived with a track record of success but was coming off of an uneven season with the San Francisco Giants in which he split time as a starter and reliever.
He’s proven to be exactly what the Mets needed.
With another seven-inning, zero-run gem Monday in St. Louis, Manaea picked up his team-leading eighth win while lowering his ERA to a team-best 3.30.
His 48.2 innings since June 26 are the second most among MLB pitchers, while his 2.03 ERA over that stretch is tied for the sixth-best mark in the majors. In Manaea’s eight starts in that time, the Mets are 7-1.
Manaea struck out 10 Cardinals on Monday, six days after he recorded 11 punchouts over seven scoreless innings against the Twins.
“Really using my fastball to get ahead of guys, and then the sweeper’s been good as a first pitch or back-foot to guys,” Manaea said Monday. “I’ll say those two things [were important], and finishing guys off early.”
Manaea, 32, continues to step up in a Mets rotation that’s received only 5.1 innings from ace Kodai Senga, who missed four months with a shoulder strain, then suffered a calf strain that’s expected to end his regular season.
Promising rookie starter Christian Scott is also on the injured list with a UCL sprain. Tylor Megill has dealt with injury and inconsistency and was recently demoted. Last week, the Mets released Adrian Houser (5.84 ERA), whom they traded for to fill a rotation spot but had moved to the bullpen before cutting ties.
Manaea, meanwhile, is benefitting from increased confidence in his fastball and from a sweeper that emerged as a weapon for him out of the San Francisco bullpen last year.
The left-hander primarily leans on his sinker — including throwing it 50 times Monday — but opponents are hitting just .180 against his four-seam fastball. He threw that four-seamer 20 times against the Cardinals, dialing it up to 96 mph to strike out Willson Contreras with two on and two out in the third inning.
Manaea threw his fastball for 20% of his pitches Monday and for 24% against the Twins, both up significantly from his season average of 12.5%.
The sweeper, meanwhile, remains his top putaway pitch at 27%. Using the sweeper — a variation of a slider with more horizontal movement — Manaea totaled 11 swings and misses over his last two outings.
He’s elicited 13 swings and misses with his four-seamer over that stretch.
“It’s so cool to watch him go after hitters,” Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor said Monday. “He got a lot of whiffs today, and it was fun. He was nasty.”
Manaea’s two-year, $28 million contract with a player option made him the third starting pitcher added last offseason by the Mets, who also gave Luis Severino a one-year deal and acquired Houser from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Manaea was the only one of those three to arrive after the Mets missed out on signing Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who chose a record-setting 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.
Severino (7-3, 3.93 ERA) has been solid in his first healthy season since 2018, as has Jose Quintana (6-7, 3.95 ERA), who started Opening Day in Senga’s absence.
Manaea’s surge has largely coincided with that of the Mets, who on Monday improved to 37-20 since May 30. They began Tuesday 1.5 games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
Since June 26, the Mets are 14-13 in games started by someone other than Manaea, while the rest of their rotation owns a 4.14 ERA over that stretch. When including Manaea, the Mets’ starting staff boasts a 3.62 ERA over an MLB-high 196.2 innings since June 26.
Last season, Manaea went 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA. He owns a 4.02 ERA over nine MLB seasons with the Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres, Giants and Mets. His 3.30 ERA this season represents a career-best.
“Whatever he’s doing, keep doing it,” Mets center fielder Harrison Bader said. He’s doing a fantastic job of pounding the zone, mixing with different pitches, making my job in center field very easy.”
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