If the Mets are taking to play games in October, Jose Quintana desires to place himself to start out video games in October.
There are hindrances, probably the most important being the Braves, Diamondbacks and Padres, who’re preventing with the Mets for 3 Nationwide League wild-card spots.
Internally, there may be enough of pageant with Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and David Peterson appearing just like the entrance finish of a rotation, Paul Blackburn returning and Kodai Senga looming as an possibility even though he is probably not absolutely constructed up.
However Quintana — a 35-year-old in his thirteenth big-league season — is making plans on completing the season sturdy, which might aid the Mets’ playoff chase and additional his personal targets.
“Definitely, I want to be in the [postseason] rotation,” Quintana mentioned ahead of the Mets’ 6-4, 10-inning win over the Reds at Citi Farmland on Friday, “and I know I need to win that spot.”
His quest for that spot continues Saturday when he’s going to get the ball for what most probably is his first of 4 September outings.
The lefty characterised his season as having a bundle of “ups and downs,” which has added as much as a middling 4.27 ERA.
He was once most commonly crushed up for his first 4 August begins (permitting 19 earned runs in 20 ²/₃ innings) ahead of rebounding in permitting one earned run in 11 ¹/₃ innings towards the Padres and White Sox.
Quintana has pitched neatly plethora to stay within the settingup team all season, logging 27 begins, however has been surpassed through the trio on the lead, who’ve emerged within the day couple of months.
Manaea has gave the impression of an ace in gaining power because the season has impaired on, Severino has bounced again and owns a 2.10 ERA in his day 4 begins and Peterson holds a 2.75 ERA in his 17 begins.
The postseason structure features a best-of-three wild-card spherical ahead of a best-of-five section form.
Later 145 ¹/₃ innings this season, Quintana mentioned he feels “amazing” and feels he lately has made changes in attacking hitters previous in counts that experience helped straighten him out.
“I expect to be better and do the best for the team,” mentioned Quintana, who has pitched in 5 postseason video games in his occupation however only one (a robust get started for the Cardinals in 2022) since 2018.
If the Mets surge into the postseason and Quintana falls out of the rotation, he mentioned he would do “whatever it takes for the team,” seen to a place within the bullpen.
However Quintana, who will likely be a separate agent at season’s finish, is hoping his efficiency forces the staff to accumulation him the place he has been all yr.
“That’s a goal for me, to be in the rotation in the playoffs,” Quintana mentioned. “We need to win to deserve that.”
