TORONTO — For pitcher Sean Manaea, his day could have easily fallen apart after the top of the fourth inning Wednesday with the bases loaded and no outs.
But the left-hander allowed big innings in the second half and wasn't the Mets' top starter.
Manaea got three consecutive outs, allowing just one run and leading the Mets to a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Manaea said what bothered him in the inning was allowing singles to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement before walking Will Wagner.
Overall, he pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits, four walks and eight strikeouts.
Manaea pitched until the seventh inning for the sixth consecutive game.
“I've been doing this my whole career and I just want to help this team win,” Manaea said. “To advance in games, I think that's a big accomplishment.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza was waiting to talk with pitching coach David Peterson and Jeremy Heffner before finalizing the rotation for the weekend series at Philadelphia after Thursday's off day.
Jose Quintana and Luis Severino will start Friday and Saturday, with Mendoza having the option to use Peterson on regular rest on Sunday, or Tyler Megill would start the series finale.
If Megill doesn't pitch against the Phillies, he will play in the Mets' next home game against the Nationals. He will replace Paul Blackburn, who was activated off the disabled list on Monday with a back injury.
Pete Alonso moved up to fifth in the batting order with Brandon Nimmo batting fourth.
Alonso struck out 14 in 30 at-bats since the start of the season, batting .167 in September with a .306 on-base percentage and a .300 slugging percentage, with only one home run.
“He's up and down, but he's a threat,” Mendoza said. “Every time he steps up to home plate, it feels really good because if he makes a mistake, he can hit it far and change the outcome of the game.”
Alonso's previous record for fewest home runs in a season was 37 in 2021. He has 31 this season with 16 games remaining.
“It's probably not the season we're used to, but if you look at the numbers, he's got a close to .800 OPS and 30 home runs,” Mendoza said. “You look back and say, 'Even if it was an average season for Pete, it's still a pretty good season.'
