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Can the Mets stay atop the NL East with another pitching injury?

Can the Mets stay atop the NL East with another pitching injury?

Published:

By: Stan Son

Last September, Christian Scott underwent Tommy John surgery, shelving him for the 2025-26 campaign. Sean Manaea suffered a right oblique strain in February and has yet to make an appearance.

It was not a problem early on, as the Mets raced out to a record of 21-10 through April. In May, New York went 15-12.

But then injuries hit the starting pitching staff hard once again in June. Kodai Senga was placed on the 15-day IL due to a hamstring injury on June 12th, then Tylor Megill was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain. The Mets are currently 11-12 in the month of June.

On Thursday, June 26th, Griffin Canning suffered a left ankle injury.

Currently, the Mets starting pitchers have posted the ninth-best FIP at 3.72, while the bullpen is tied for the lowest FIP, helping New York to sit atop the National League East at 48-34. The Philadelphia Phillies, though, are only a half game back.

Philadelphia has the second-best FIP for starters at 3.34. In addition, the Phillies offense will be receiving a huge boost soon with the return of Bryce Harper.

It’s not all doom and gloom for New York, though. Senga could be returning in a few weeks while Manaea has started playing catch and could return around the All-Star break. There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played, and while Canning could be done for the season, the Mets could be getting back two top-of-the-rotation arms. And, the Mets bullpen is one of the best in MLB.

That said, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Phillies the favorite to win the NL East at -140. The Mets are at +130.

Stan joined DraftKings in December of 2020. It was a glorious time, except for that whole COVID thing, when we got Madden streams and boisterous bat flips from the KBO. I was brought on board to bring some West Coast flavor. I especially love hoops, and most of my content is in that arena. When I walk along the beach, strumming my guitar, the beat that I hear is not one of crashing waves. No, it is the beat of the ball bouncing off the hardwood with highs provided by the squeaks of the sneakers. Ball is life.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.