The champagne is not yet dry, and plans far from set, but here is how I think the Mets will set their rotation for the National League Championship Series against either Los Angeles or San Diego:
— Kodai Senga in Game 1, piggybacked by new relief ace David Peterson.
— Luis Severino in Game 2.
— Sean Manaea in Game 3.
— Jose Quintana in Game 4.
Peterson was terrific this season as a starter for the Mets, and the fact that his move to the pen appears permanent for the postseason is no indictment on his ability to contribute in that role. He’s a reliever for this run because he is helping to patch up the team’s primary weakness.
The team was excited by what they saw from Senga in Philadelphia in Game 1, although scouts in attendance thought he was nibbling too much. But the Mets appear headed toward concluding that using Senga again as an opener of sorts in Game 1 is the best approach. He threw 31 pitches in his first playoff outing, and the team wants to stretch him out further.
In the bullpen, Edwin Diaz should benefit from two developments: days off, and the confidence gained from closing out the Phillies in Game 4, despite a shaky start.
Diaz had thrown more than 100 pitches in a week, before receiving two days off when the Mets returned from Philadelphia.
“In Philly, I was gassed out,” Diaz said on the field after the Mets clinched. “Now I feel 100 percent.”
He was smiling broadly when he said that, evidence that manager Carlos Mendoza’s decision to lift Peterson for Diaz had the intended effect of restoring Diaz’s confidence.
