Pitching questions? Streaking Mets, Canning have the answer

NEW YORK -- Entering this season, the most questionable part of this Mets roster -- or at least the part that outsiders questioned most often -- was the rotation.

Of the top eight starting pitchers on the depth chart, only one was coming off a full, healthy, successful Major League season. That one, Sean Manaea, proceeded to strain his oblique during Spring Training and land on the injured list.

It was an issue. Or at least it seemed to be an issue, until this unheralded group of pitchers actually began pitching.

Through nearly one month of the regular season, Mets starters not only lead the Majors with a 2.29 ERA, but they’re more than a full run better than the next-best National League team. Every member has contributed in significant ways -- not least of all Griffin Canning, who held the Phillies to one run Tuesday night in a 5-1 win at Citi Field.

It was the Mets’ sixth consecutive victory, their second such streak already this season.

“It helps when your pitching staff is as nasty as ours,” outfielder Tyrone Taylor said.

Statistically one of the worst pitchers in the Majors last season, Canning has been one of the league’s best so far in 2025, relying on improved sequencing and pitch-mix tweaks to keep opposing lineups off-balance. So it went Tuesday, in a game that saw Canning allow almost nothing after three consecutive one-out hits in the second.

Francisco Lindor stayed hot with three hits of his own to back the offense, Mark Vientos returned from injury to crack an RBI double, and New York’s defense remained steady, with Taylor contributing an unorthodox 8-3 double play. But it was the Mets’ pitching that most notably shined, as it has throughout their run of 15 wins in 19 games.

“It’s really fun to be out there with them,” said catcher Luis Torrens, whose two-run single in the seventh inning helped seal the victory.

It hasn’t, of course, just been Canning doing the heavy lifting. Every member of the Opening Day rotation has contributed in significant ways, including Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill, who boast two of the six best ERAs among MLB pitchers with at least 20 innings. Clay Holmes has successfully converted from a closer to a starter, ranking second behind Canning in innings. David Peterson continues to prove that last year’s success was no fluke.

Combined, Mets starters haven’t allowed a homer in 11 consecutive games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in franchise history.

“It’s been fun,” Canning said. “We all kind of feed off each other. We’re all having fun in the dugout and in between starts, talking with each other, learning from each other. It’s awesome being with these guys.”

While there’s no obvious common thread running through these performances, Canning noted that the information shared between starters on things like pitch grips and game strategies have helped lift everyone. A clear, overarching theme also exists: Since president of baseball operations David Stearns and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner began teaming up two offseasons ago, nearly everything they’ve touched has turned to gold.

“It’s probably different for each guy,” Stearns said when asked about his pitching staff’s secret sauce. “We are not going to get all of them right. We have not gotten all of them right. But I think the ability to meet a player where he needs to be met at is very helpful.”

This type of success, Stearns was quick to say, is not sustainable. Mets starters will not finish the year with a 2.29 ERA.

They also don’t need to. New York’s vaunted offense still hasn’t come alive to quite the extent that team leaders think it will. The Mets will add and subtract roster pieces throughout the season. That includes in the rotation, where Manaea and Frankie Montas should return in June. At some point, prospects Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell and maybe even Nolan McLean can contribute, adding further depth and ceiling to this rotation.

Until then, the Mets are in a good place. An excellent place, even. As far as numbers are concerned, the Mets are in the best spot of any Major League rotation.

“We knew we were good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, reflecting on the injuries that shook up -- but didn’t manage to topple -- this group in Spring Training. “That’s what we’re seeing right now. Guys are going out there, taking the ball, giving us a chance to win baseball games, attacking the strike zone. And it’s fun.”