Players of the Week: Manaea and Martinez Heat Up

The Mets had a rough week against two National League East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins. Dropping five of seven games leaves the Mets in fourth place in the division with a 21-25 record. The weekend culminated in the team temporarily removing Edwin Díaz from the closer role after he blew two saves, leading to extra-inning losses.

There were a few bright spots in an otherwise down week for New York, including two offseason additions that helped pave the way to winning a couple of games.

Offensive Player of the Week: J.D. Martinez

After a fairly pedestrian start to Martinez’s Mets career, he is showing to be the veteran presence the Mets desperately needed behind Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor in the lineup. His even approach of getting on base and hitting for contact has helped the Mets put up more respectable numbers on offense. His .315 batting average leads the team among qualified hitters.

He played great in the first six games of the week before missing Sunday’s game in Miami due to a stomach bug that has made its way through the clubhouse. He finished the week 10-for-24 at the plate, leading the team in hits and RBIs with six. His legs seem to be getting underneath him as he begins to show off his power, earning four extra-base hits, including three doubles and a home run.

The offense will continue to lean on the savvy vet as they look to work through their collective shortcomings. In his short time with the team, he has been one of the few steady cogs, and if the team isn’t realistically in the playoff picture by the July 30 trade deadline, he will be near the top of the list for contending teams to watch.

Pitcher of the Week: Sean Manaea

Manaea appeared in two starts this week and pitched well in both outings. He held one of the best lineups in baseball to just one run over six innings on Monday against Philadelphia. When the Mets needed to avoid the series sweep in Miami, Manaea offered a strong performance, going five innings and earning the win. 

It can’t be said enough how important Sunday’s victory was to the Mets between being shut out on Friday and blowing a four-run lead in Saturday’s debacle.

Manaea compiled ten strikeouts in 11 innings of work while allowing just three earned runs and two free passes in his two starts this week. His lone blemish on Sunday was letting up a two-run home run off the bat of Marlins rookie outfielder Dane Myers. Manaea lowered his ERA to  3.11 on the season, where he leads the team’s starting rotation. He has gone deeper into games and has earned quality starts in two of his last three outings.

Up Next

The struggling Mets will travel to Cleveland on Monday to take on the Guardians in a three-game series. Cleveland is coming off a three-game sweep over the Minnesota Twins and is in first place in the American League Central division. The Mets’ offense will likely need to find a way to keep up their run production, as the Guardians are fifth in Major League Baseball in runs scored.

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