Projected Mets rotation for Wild Card series vs. Brewers

Let's start with the good news: After one of the wildest, most exhausting baseball games in recent memory, the New York Mets are headed to the playoffs, securing an NL Wild Card spot thanks to an 8-7 victory over the hated Atlanta Braves in game one of a season-ending doubleheader on Monday afternoon. The Truist Park demons have finally been exorcised, Francisco Lindor is back to looking like an MVP candidate and the vibes remain distinctly Team of Destiny.

Of course, making the playoffs was merely the first step. Now comes the task of actually winning a postseason series, which brings us to the not-so-good news: Because of that season-ending doubleheader, New York's pitching staff is in a bit of disarray at the moment.

Granted, winning the opener on Monday afternoon allowed the Mets to spare their important arms in the night-cap, so things aren't nearly as dire as they could've been. Still, Carlos Mendoza has a lot to sort through ahead of Game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday evening. How will New York's rotation line up in the best-of-three? Let's break it down.

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New York Mets projected Wild Card rotation vs. Brewers

Game 1: Luis Severino

This one's easy. New York rolled the dice on Monday, opting to throw Tylor Megill in game one in Atlanta in the hopes of saving Severino for a potential Wild Card opener. The gamble paid off big time, and the reward is a well-rested Sevy for the biggest game of the season so far.

Of course, Severino hasn't been particularly sharp lately — he's got a 5.63 ERA over his last three starts — and he allowed six runs (three earned) on 11 hits in five innings in his lone start against Milwaukee this season. But that was all the way back in March, and the righty has largely been rock-solid for the Mets this season. New York has to feel good about Severino's chances to at least keep them competitive on Tuesday.

Game 2: Sean Manaea

This would also seem to be pretty straightforward. When New York set its rotation after the rainouts in Atlanta last week, it opted to start Manaea on Friday in Milwaukee in order to ensure that the lefty would be fully rested for a Wild Card start. Now that's come to pass, and Manaea seems almost certain to get a rematch with the Brewers in Game 2 on Wednesday. Granted, round one didn't go so well for New York (Manaea allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings of work) but he remains among the two or three most reliable options the Mets have.

Game 3 (if necessary) Jose Quintana

David Peterson just dominated these same Brewers in a huge win on Sunday, but it seems hard to believe that the Mets would opt to start him again on three days' rather than go with Quintana, who's been sensational down the stretch. He pitched against Milwaukee on Saturday, and while he lasted just 4.1 innings, he struck out nine and fell victim to some bad batted-ball luck that made his start look much worse than it could've been. Quintana hasn't allowed more than two runs in an outing since mid-August, and if New York finds itself in a winner-take-all Game 3, this is the guy they'd want on the mound.