Mets complete sweep of White Sox thanks to Sean Manaea's gem, Francisco Lindor's blast
Mets' Francisco Lindor celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
CHICAGO — In the end, the Mets did exactly what they were supposed to do: capitalize on their easiest weekend of the season by beating the historically bad White Sox again and again.
They completed a three-game sweep on a sleepy Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 victory carried by Sean Manaea’s gem and Francisco Lindor’s home run.
The series wasn’t always pretty, but the bottom line was what mattered. The Mets (73-64) gained ground in the National League wild-card standings, moving within one game of Atlanta for the final spot.
The White Sox suffered their franchise-record 107th loss. With 24 games remaining, they are 13 losses away from tying the 1962 Mets for the most in baseball’s Modern Era.
“We knew coming in here, especially after playing the Padres and the Diamondbacks, that we needed to keep the intensity, needed to stay locked in, match the energy [from the previous series],” said manager Carlos Mendoza, whose team has won six of eight. “I’m proud of the guys that we were able to do it.”
Lindor said: “Everybody knew we had a task in front of us and we had to take care of business.”
The Mets went 7-3 on their second 10-game road trip in a month.
“We definitely set ourselves up for a good run here,” Manaea said.
Mendoza said: “You have to feel good about it.”
Manaea lasted seven innings for the fifth time in his past seven outings. He didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth (Lenyn Sosa walked), didn’t allow a hit until the fifth (Miguel Vargas singled) and didn’t allow a runner in scoring position until the seventh.
With runners at the corners, one out and the potential tying run at third base, Manaea had one more batter, Vargas again. He flied out. Manaea clapped with his glove and bare hand as he walked off the mound.
Mendoza said he has come to view Manaea as the Mets’ No. 1 starter, an unofficial title that would matter more if the Mets get into the playoffs.
“He continues to show it,” Mendoza said. “I know [Luis Severino] is throwing the ball well, but I saw something different today out of Manaea.”
Manaea’s approach this time: Throw the sinker until the White Sox prove they can hit it. They couldn’t. He wound up using it more often in this game than in any since 2021.
“I kept throwing it until they were going to do something with it, then mix everything else up,” Manaea said.
Edwin Diaz, pitching for the fourth time in five days, struck out the side in the ninth for the easy save.
White Sox lefthander Garrett Crochet allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings in an outing that was way more interesting than the simple line suggests.
He struck out seven consecutive batters to begin the game and was perfect for three innings. Lindor led off the fourth with his 29th homer. A couple of batters later, with Crochet at 57 pitches, interim manager Grady Sizemore pulled him.
Chicago has limited Crochet (3.61 ERA) to about that many innings/pitches for the past month-plus in an attempt to keep him healthy. Because the White Sox aren’t playing for anything this season — and because Crochet can be a valuable part of their future or a huge trade piece — they are managing his workload in his first season as a starter and first full season since 2021.
“We’ve seen some really good arms throughout the year,” Mendoza said. “That one right there was pretty special.”
But Manaea matched him — and then some.
“He rose to the occasion,” Mendoza said. “You could see there was a different demeanor on the mound today.”
Notes & quotes: The Mets called up Pablo Reyes over prospect Luisangel Acuna because they prefer to have Acuna play consistently for Triple-A Syracuse, Mendoza said. Without real need at any particular position, they are more comfortable carrying Reyes as a bit role player who can pinch run and play defense. “It’s important for [Acuna’s] development to continue to play every day,” Mendoza said. “And we still got a month to go here. A lot can change” . . . Severino is good to go for Monday against the Red Sox after taking a line drive off his right foot in his previous start. He said he ran less than usual but otherwise had a normal between-starts routine . . . Lindor has reached base in 30 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors and the longest streak of his career.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
