In Tuesday’s 8-3 win against the San Diego Padres, the Mets deployed a strategy that could be the elixir to their ever-present starting pitching woes. Instead of relying on one starter to provide length, they utilized two — Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea — in a piggyback situation to beat a team they’re chasing in the NL Wild Card standings.

With Holmes (four innings of two-run ball) and Manaea (five one-run innings) combining to quiet a solid Padres offense and spare the Mets bullpen, the Mets got a peek of a tandem that could find its way into a postseason start.

After looking defeated following a disastrous first two innings, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pulled Manaea into the dugout tunnel for a talk and the left-hander went on to pitch three scoreless innings. However, the damage was done and Manaea suffered his third loss of the season.

For as much as the Mets have struggled, for as much as they have turned the act of making the playoffs into a tenuous proposition, there’s still a notion around the league that no one wants to play them in October.