After taking down both the Yankees and the Phillies on the road, the Dodgers are back in New York City, set to clash with the Mets, and all eyes are on Roki Sasaki who’s about to make his second start of the second half. The kid is looking like a completely different pitcher lately, and the league better take notice.
Sasaki’s Heat is Back, Manaea’s Struggling
Let’s talk about Roki Sasaki for a minute. Last Friday against the Yankees, he was absolutely electric, showing us exactly why he’s such a talked-about talent. We’re talking 5.2 innings with ZERO earned runs, only one walk, and the radar gun screaming 101.8 MPH. Seriously, that kind of heat in mid-July? Pure nastiness! Not only that, he had more movement on his pitches than we’ve seen in the past. It’s like he just flipped a switch, looking much more like the pitcher everyone raved about from Japan. There’s even chatter about him sporting a bigger glove, with some speculating that’s to hide his pitches better. Whatever the reason, it’s working for him, big time.
Meanwhile, the Mets are sending Sean Manaea to the mound, and honestly, the stats aren’t pretty. The dude’s sitting at a 2-5 record with a 4.74 ERA on the season. His last outing against the Phillies was rough, too: he lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up four earned runs. That’s not exactly inspiring confidence when you’re facing a hot team like the Dodgers, is it? You’ve gotta wonder how long he can keep this up.
Betts Is Crushing, Soto Is Slumping, and the Mets are Scuffling
But here’s where it gets really interesting: Mookie Betts is absolutely LOCKED IN against Manaea. In 40 career plate appearances against the lefty, Betts has crushed seven extra base hits, including three monster homers. This guy sees the ball like a beach ball against Manaea. And even Kyle Tucker, who’s been scuffling a bit at the plate lately, has four lifetime homers and 12 walks against Manaea. So, even when he’s not red-hot, Tucker knows how to make Manaea pay for any mistakes. That’s a serious one-two punch Manaea has to contend with right out of the gate.
On the flip side, we’ve got Marcus Semien, who’s the only Met to have ever faced Sasaki. He went hitless in three at-bats. That’s gotta be a confidence booster for Sasaki heading into this one, knowing he’s had Semien’s number. Then there’s Juan Soto. He’s still batting a respectable .283 on the season, but over his last seven games, he’s only hitting a measly .125. Oof. He did get Wednesday off, and the Mets had Thursday off, so he should be well-rested. Will that spark something for him and get him out of this slump? The Mets desperately need him to.
As for the Mets as a team, well, let’s just say they’re struggling across the board. They rank in the bottom quarter of all MLB teams in pretty much every major offensive and defensive stat. Their only semi-bright spots are home runs, where they’re 14th, and their team ERA, which is 4.23. It’s tough times in Queens right now. Remember when the Dodgers swept them in Los Angeles back in April? That felt like a long time ago for Mets fans, and not in a good way at all.
This series opener goes down tonight at Citi Field in Queens, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. PT. You can catch all the action on SportsNet LA, or tune into AM 570 or KTNQ 1020 AM (for Spanish) on the radio. After the Dodgers absolutely dominated them earlier this season, you know the Mets are itching for some payback on their home turf. But with Sasaki dealing like he is, and Betts ready to smash, it’s gonna be a tough mountain to climb for the home squad. Get ready for some classic mid-season baseball, folks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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