Sean Manaea Sets Mets Up as Juan Soto Eyes Another Homer
sean manaea took the mound Thursday with the Mets trying to steady a season that had dropped them to 10-20 and last in the NL East. Juan Soto arrived at the series finale after homering in back-to-back games against Washington and was listed at +313 to leave the yard again.
Juan Soto and the Mets
The setup was simple enough. New York and Washington split the first two games of the series with lopsided results, the Mets winning 8-0 on April 28 before the Nationals answered with a 14-2 blowout on Wednesday night.
Soto was the most dangerous bat in that frame. He had already homered in consecutive games against his former team, and the market made him a live home-run play again Thursday, even with the Mets sitting as -207 favorites at home.
Miles Mikolas on the Hill
Washington sent Miles Mikolas out against a lineup that had already punished the Nationals in the series opener. Mikolas entered with an 8.49 ERA and had led the Nationals to two wins in six appearances this season.
The Nationals also brought a bullpen that had been hit hard all season. Their relief corps carried a 5.01 ERA and had allowed 24 home runs in 2026, leaving little margin if Mikolas could not hold the game in the early innings.
Freddy Peralta and the Standings
Freddy Peralta started for the Mets in the finale, giving New York a chance to keep the game from turning into another high-scoring swing the way the first two had. The Mets entered the afternoon with a minus-34 run differential, a number that matched the rough shape of their 10-20 start.
That made Soto’s power streak the cleanest individual thread in the matchup. One game after Washington scored 14 runs, New York needed run prevention and a fast start from its starter, while Soto had the clearest path to changing the scoreboard with one swing.
For readers tracking the betting angle, the number on Soto was the sharpest marker. At +313, he was priced as a legitimate threat to extend the streak, and the Mets’ position in the standings gave the lineup little room to waste a chance at a split or a series win.
