The Mets began their week in St. Louis with just one game before heading west again to face the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. It was a week of mixed results, ranging from clean sheet wins to clean sheet losses for the Mets, who now sit a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the third and final wild card spot in the National League.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Pitcher of the week: Paul Blackburn
Blackburn has shown he’s capable of hitting the ball and limiting the damage once runners get on base, and his performance on Wednesday in Colorado was a reflection of that. There aren’t many points in Blackburn’s game that stand out on the scorecard, but he’s a player through and through. In a hitter-friendly ballpark like Coors Field, he put up a solid stat line with six innings, five hits, two walks, six strikeouts, and allowed two runs (one earned).
In two starts with the Mets he was a very effective option in the starting lineup. While some fans would like to see David Stearns make a deal for a higher profile player, reports suggest that the price for the front-line regulars was too high for Stearns’ liking. So far, Blackburn has been a welcome addition to the back end of the rotation.
Honorable Mention: Sean Manaea
Manaea is being praised for his outstanding performance on Monday against the Cardinals despite being beaten up over the weekend in Seattle, where he went three innings and allowed three runs. Manaea pitched seven scoreless innings on Monday, including 10 strikeouts.
Batsman of the week: Francisco Lindor
The offense was worse this weekend than it has ever been this season. They only scored one run in 27 innings. But Francisco Lindor was still successful, just as he had been in the four games before the weekend.
For the week, Lindor had 10 hits (two doubles), scored three runs, batted in three more, and stole a base. His slash line was .323/.344/.387/.721. It won’t go down as his best week as a Met, but he was one of the few consistent players in a week without appearances.
Next
The Mets will have a much-needed day off on Monday when they return home from the West Coast. They have a chance to potentially make up some ground in the Wild Card race by hosting two teams that are in last place in their respective divisions: the Oakland A’s and the Miami Marlins. Blackburn will take the mound on Tuesday night against his former team, making his third start in a Mets uniform.
