SAN FRANCISCO — Sean Manaea could take a glimmer of satisfaction from his latest outing.
Yes, the left-hander created traffic in his relief appearance Thursday night, but there was an uptick in his velocity. The final result — one earned run allowed over 3 ²/₃ innings — was respectable, despite the four hits and two walks he allowed.
“I was just throwing free and easy and just throwing with confidence,” Manaea said.
The appearance in a low-leverage spot — the Mets trailed by four runs when he entered and ultimately lost 7-2 to the Giants — allowed Manaea an opportunity to stay stretched out as the sixth starter in what has been a five-man rotation to begin the season.
Manaea averaged 89.9 mph with his four-seam fastball — still down from last season but up from spring training and his 1 ¹/₃-inning relief appearance against the Pirates last Sunday.
The lone run Manaea allowed Thursday was on a four-seamer that Rafael Devers smashed for a homer.
“I thought it was a positive step,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “[Manaea] was aggressive and his fastball had life, swings and misses, and for him to finish that game and save the bullpen is huge. There were a lot of good signs.”
The Mets used plenty of relievers in the first week, with three games that went extra innings. Manaea could help ensure Mendoza wouldn’t need to summon another arm.
“This is a family; this is a team,” Manaea said. “Everyone has got work to do, and I am really glad that I was able to help out.”
Manaea’s next step is unclear, but he’s unlikely to be available for the remainder of this series after throwing 74 pitches. The Mets have a day off Monday and then have games scheduled the following nine days, so it’s possible Manaea would be inserted into the rotation as a sixth starter as soon as the next homestand.
Nolan McLean took the mound on Friday, and the Mets have Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga aligned for the final two games in the series. Freddy Peralta and David Peterson are the other members of the five-man rotation.
“We’ve got five extremely talented starters, and my role right now is to help this team in the capacity that I am doing,” Manaea said.
The early results have been positive from the rotation, Peterson’s latest start notwithstanding — the lefty was knocked out in the fifth inning on Thursday after allowing six runs, five of which were earned. That got the ball to Manaea with the chance for an extended outing. He had thrown only 29 pitches in his appearance on Sunday.
Last season was disastrous for Manaea, who strained an oblique in spring training and didn’t appear in a game for the Mets until July. But he struggled upon his return and pitched to a 5.64 ERA in 15 appearances.
The Mets re-signed Manaea before last season to a three-year contract worth $75 million.
Manaea had thrived the previous season and emerged as a de facto ace for a team that reached the NL Championship Series, crediting a drop in arm angle against left-handed hitters for much of his success.
But Manaea indicated he may have dropped his arm slot too low last year in trying to replicate that success.
“I think the arm slot getting too low was a byproduct of the rest of my body,” Manaea said. “If I am more upright the arm slot doesn’t matter.”
