KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For so much of last season, Sean Manaea helped carry a Mets rotation working without Kodai Senga, becoming the unexpected ace who tinkered and tweaked his way to spates of domination.
But roles were reversed to start this year: Since spring training, Manaea had been sidelined with an oblique injury and could do little more than watch as the Mets first thrived, and then swooned when pitcher after pitcher landed on the injured list.
His return in Sunday’s loss didn’t end the way he wanted: Tyler Tolbert singled with one out in the ninth, stole second and scored on Nick Loftin’s single to left as the Royals walked it off against the Mets, 3-2, at Kauffman Stadium.
But in a big picture way, the relief outing was positive in two respects. 1. He’s healthy and will be a fresh, valuable arm for the second half. 2. For most of his outing, it looked like he never left.
The lefty looked sharp until the ninth, showcasing pinpoint command and wipeout stuff that, at one point, allowed him to retire six of seven Royals via strikeout. He allowed one run and five hits in 3 1/2 innings, striking out seven and walking none.
The Mets bats, which were toothless for eight innings and had them trailing 2-0 in the ninth, finally stirred to life that inning. Ronny Mauricio hit a leadoff double off closer Carlos Estevez and pinch hitter Jeff McNeil lasered a ball to the warning track in right center; it would have been a tough play regardless, but centerfielder Kyle Isbel collided with the wall, giving McNeil a run-scoring triple. Mendoza kept the parade of pinch hitting lefties coming: Brett Baty popped out to first before Jared Young hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in McNeil with the tying run.
Otherwise, they were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base.
The Royals hit starter Clay Holmes hard from the onset, but only scored in the second. Maikel Garcia led off that inning with a double and Salvador Perez was hit with a pitch. Luisangel Acuna then made a diving stop on a ball to his left hit by Jac Caglianone, potentially save a run. John Rave, though, rocketed a double up the rightfield line to go up 2-0. Luis Torrens threw out Rave trying to steal second and, after an infield single, Holmes got Isbel to ground out to strand the runner.
Holmes allowed the two runs and five hits in five innings, walking one and striking out one before ceding the ball to Manaea.
Manaea, who allowed a leadoff single to Bobby Witt Jr. in the sixth, got Vinnie Pasquantino to ground out before striking out the next five batters.
That streak was broken in the seventh, when Manaea misplayed a bunt for a leadoff infield single. He got Jonathan India to ground out, though, and struck out Witt on three straight fastballs in the zone. Pasquantino lined a soft single to right, but Manaea got Garcia to pop out to first.
Notes & quotes: Max Kranick, who went on the injured list last month with a flexor strain in his right elbow, will be consulting with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister this week; Tommy John surgery is a possibility, Mendoza said. This would be Kranick’s second Tommy John, with the last one coming in 2022. He pitched in 24 games with the Mets this year, with a 3.65 ERA, five walks and 25 strikeouts. The news comes a day after Mendoza announced that fellow reliever Dedniel Nunez would be undergoing his second Tommy John surgery this coming week… Reliever Jose Butto (illness) will make a rehab appearance Tuesday; it’s possible he could rejoin the team as soon as Friday, the first game after the All-Star break.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.