FLUSHING, NY — Heading to the exits and many in the sold-out crowd of 43,883 at Citi Field Wednesday night made the right choice. The Mets for the second time in this NLCS against the Dodgers were shutout, 8-0. The rally towels went quiet prior to Shohei Ohtani hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inning.
No late inning comeback dramatics this time. And a Mets team now trailing the Dodgers 2-1 in this best-of-Seven series. Manager Carlos Mendoza will need to look ahead to Game 4 Thursday night in a must win game for the Mets.
Carlos Mendoza and the Mets will look to even up the NLCS at 2-2 on Thursday in Game 4 – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Overcoming a loss has been the resilient Mets, a theme of their turnaround season. But this loss in a postseason series will test their resilience, after all this is the playoff baseball and minimal time to think about a plan. Another loss to the Dodgers and the Mets will confront their biggest challenge of the season with an elimination game Friday evening.
They have been here and defied the odds. The Pete Alonso three-run homer against the Brewers that got them past the NL Wild Card, and a Francisco Lindor grand slam that beat the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS. All those heroics catapulted them to wins and stopped doubts about the Mets ability to comeback.
Starling Marte gives Francisco Lindor a big hug after his grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
But they had no comeback in Game 3, Ohtani and Kiké Hernández earlier with a two-run homer in the sixth. The Dodgers would have a 4-0 lead after the Hernández home run, the Mets and their loyal fans believing again they could overcome the odds. It didn’t work Wednesday night but we have learned they can bounce back.
But can this Mets team bounce back and make this a series again? One thing is known, significant was this loss and the Mets won’t bow their heads. Win Thursday night and they are right back in it.
“The guys that are in there got us to this point,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And I’m pretty confident they’ll come though.”
But two shutouts in three games, including their opening 9-0 loss in Game 1, opens the questions. Does Mendoza change the lineup because Dodgers’ right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 5.63 ERA) postseason will be on the mound?
It’s something the manager will contemplate before Thursday.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the NLCS Game 4 start for the Dodgers on Thursday at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
“We’re facing Yamamoto, as far as I know,” Mendoza said. “I think they announced it. When you look at his numbers, his splits, he’s reversed. He’s been a lot better against lefties.”
Yamamoto pitches a lot better against lefties, so the lineup could see more of a right handed presence. Regardless, as Mendoza said this is the postseason and facing tough pitching is always going to be a task, even though the Dodgers struggled with their rotation during the season.
But their rotation in this series hardly resembles those struggles manager Dave Roberts had to confront during their regular season. Injuries to a third of their rotation and bullpen issues were prevalent. The postseason though is a different ballgame.
Dave Roberts during the lead up to Game 3 of the NLCS as the Dodgers take batting practice – Image Credit: Latino Sports
And the struggles of catcher Francisco Álvarez continue, a concern since lacing an RBI single in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series at Milwaukee, (0-for-3, with three strikeouts in Game 3, and a .143 batting average, with 13 strikeouts postseason) The Mets stranded six runners in the first three innings against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler. Álvarez is not going to sit down, Mendoza hinted there would not be a change in the lineup.
“I think offensively he’s in between. I think he’s late making his move, which is not allowing him to make some good swing decisions. That’s why you see him at times taking the fastball or late on the fastball and then chasing. That tells you right there that we have a guy that is late getting ready. But he’s a good hitter. He’s a good player. We’re facing an elite pitching staff as well. He’ll come through for us.”
Francisco Álvarez has struggled at the plate this postseason while leading the Mets’ pitching staff behind it – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
And after that opening game loss in the series that saw the Mets silenced, of course they bounced right back and got that important split on the road. They have always always defied the odds against them and expert to do the same in Game 4. This time they also look at more of those rally towels and to do that need to keep the game close.
Mets starter Luis Severino fell behind 2-0 in the second due to some misplays on the field, though not allowing an earned run. He threw 95 pitches and walked four in 4 2/3 innings, taking the loss.
Luis Severino lasted 4.2 innings in Game 3 of the NLCS vs. the Dodgers on Wednesday night at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
They have to bounce back. The implications are obvious. Then again, these are the Mets who always defy the skeptics after a loss. This one though, and on the hands of another shutout all coming at the wrong time.
“They executed their pitches we got to execute when we have people in scoring position that’s part of the game and hope we come back tomorrow and execute. It’s part of the game,” Lindor said, he too leaving the bases loaded on the second inning that was a sign to come.
Francisco Lindor and the Mets stare at a 2-1 NLCS deficit heading into Thursday’s Game 4 at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
“You got to live with it and come back tomorrow,” he said. “You got to flush this one, turn the page and learn from it and come back tomorrow and focus on winning.”
And a must win for the Mets. Then again, they have been here and who is to question their ability to bounce back, though this is the NLCS.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and contributor LatinoSports.com – X (Twitter) @Ring 786, Facebook.com./Rich Mancuso
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