Pressure rests on Sean Manaea’s shoulders with Mets bullpen running on fumes

LOS ANGELES — When last seen on the mound, Sean Manaea was handling the difficult part of the Dodgers lineup and giving his team a chance to even the NLCS. 

But the rarest of commodities in this series has been the starting pitcher who works deep into the game and alleviates pressure on the bullpen. 

Even in his respectable Game 2 performance, the Mets left-hander wasn’t that guy: Manaea lasted only five innings on Monday, leaving manager Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen to walk a tightrope in the late innings. 

The NLCS will resume Sunday night at Dodger Stadium with Game 6 — the Dodgers lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven series — and to this point the Mets haven’t gotten a starting pitcher beyond five innings. It’s a streak they hope to snap, especially after a Game 5 in which Mendoza exhausted his top relief options. 

“We are asking a lot from some of the guys out of the bullpen,” Mendoza said. 

The manager noted that Ryne Stanek’s superb outing Friday, when he gave the Mets 2 ¹/₃ innings in relief and allowed one run, marked the first time since 2017 he pitched in parts of three innings.

Reed Garrett’s pitch count (31) over one inning was another number that caught Mendoza’s attention.

Edwin Diaz was needed for the final six outs — hardly the ideal scenario. 

One reason Manaea established himself as an ace for the Mets in the second half of the regular season was his ability to work deeper into games.

The left-hander had a stretch of eight straight starts beginning in August in which he lasted at least 6 ²/₃ innings. 

But the postseason is a different animal.

Twice in his three October starts, Manaea lasted only five innings.

The exception was the gem he pitched in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies in which he allowed one earned run over seven innings. 

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The Mets can feel good about the fact that if the series extends to a Game 7 on Monday, another top starting pitcher in Luis Severino will be on full rest.

But Mendoza also acknowledged an “all hands on deck” mentality would apply if the series got to a winner-take-all game. 

And that maybe only underscores the importance of the Mets receiving length from Manaea in Game 6. 

It’s clear Mendoza trusts Garrett, Stanek and Diaz to get big outs, but using any or all of them on Sunday would limit their availability in a Game 7.

And the Mets are going to need that seventh game if they plan to reach the World Series. 

Jose Butto was the best Mets reliever in the second half, but the right-hander hasn’t been as trustworthy in the postseason, pitching to a 6.75 ERA in five appearances. 

Phil Maton is another Mets reliever who appears to be running near empty.

The right-hander has pitched to an 8.44 ERA in five appearances this postseason, with four walks over 5 ¹/₃ innings. 

David Peterson returned to a starting role in Game 5 — the left-hander allowed two earned runs over 3 ²/₃ innings and threw 79 pitches — presumably removing him from the bullpen mix for the rest of the series. 

The X factor could be Kodai Senga and whether Mendoza would trust the right-hander in an important spot. Senga, following an ugly four-out performance against the Dodgers in the Game 1 start, was skipped in the rotation on Friday.