NEW YORK — The New York Mets managed to even the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at a game apiece by showing off their resiliency, a season-long hallmark of the club. The challenge now for the Mets is to capitalize on home-field advantage, with the next three games at Citi Field.
Ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday, here’s what we’ve learned about the Mets so far in the NLCS.
The Mets could use better at-bats from Francisco Alvarez.
It isn’t just that Alvarez has managed all of five hits in 32 postseason at-bats. It’s how those at-bats have transpired that has to concern the Mets at least a little.
Alvarez is seeing just 3.42 pitches per plate appearance, down from 3.89 during the regular season. His second-inning popup with two men in scoring position and one out Monday was the ninth time he’d had an at-bat this postseason that ended on the first pitch. (In fairness, he’s 3-for-9 in those at-bats.)
“Maybe trying to do a little too much at times, especially with runners on,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday. “But he’s a good hitter, man. I like the conviction. I like that he’s aggressive. And he will continue to get opportunities because he’s a big part of this team.”
After a deep slump late in the summer, Alvarez had put together an outstanding September, with a .357 on-base percentage and five home runs in the month. He’s looking more like the hitter he was during that summer slump, when he hit .177 with a .480 OPS for two months.
The Mets have trusted backup Luis Torrens throughout the season, but Torrens finished the year in his own offensive slump. He went 6-for-49 from the start of August, and he was hitless in his last 16 at-bats of the season. His last knock came on September 2.
Furthermore, while Torrens’ arm is a weapon behind the plate, the Mets’ pitching staff has been especially laudatory of Alvarez’s work as a game caller. It would be tough to disrupt that dynamic at this juncture.
Brandon Nimmo’s injury limits the Mets’ options in center field.
While Jeff McNeil’s return to the roster provides Mendoza additional flexibility, one potential route to boost the offense is closed off by Nimmo’s struggles with plantar fasciitis. So far in the postseason, New York’s center fielders — Tyrone Taylor for eight starts, Harrison Bader for one and late defense — have combined for just five hits in 34 at-bats. (Taylor did deliver a crucial RBI double in Monday’s second inning.)
In an ideal world, the Mets could put McNeil in left field and shift Nimmo over to center, where he’d played every day through last season and had started 22 games this regular season. But Nimmo’s defense is compromised by his foot injury. It was notable that Mendoza replaced Nimmo defensively in Monday’s ninth inning and not Starling Marte, as he had throughout the playoffs.
Mendoza did say he was not inclined to play Nimmo at DH at this point. The Mets could flip Nimmo and Jesse Winker, though at the moment they still feel Nimmo is the better defender in the outfield.
The Mets can’t afford defensive lapses.
For most of the season, Game 3 starter Luis Severino and Game 4 starter Jose Quintana have relied heavily on the Mets’ defense to make plays. That isn’t expected to suddenly change against the Dodgers, who boast a terrific lineup. It was interesting to see the Dodgers bunt multiple times in Game 1, applying pressure to third baseman Mark Vientos, who has made a couple of fielding blunders with runners on base in the postseason. It was an example of the Dodgers’ offensive versatility; they can hit home runs, but they also create traffic and put the ball in play. The Mets’ defense needs to be up to the task.
So far, things have looked sloppy at times. Jose Iglesias’ error on a grounder in the sixth inning of Game 2 loaded the bases with no outs and eventually led to two runs. Things could’ve been worse if the Mets hadn’t turned a double play to end the inning.
There have been other miscues. A ball squeaked under Pete Alonso’s glove for a hit when the first baseman ranged to his right. Alonso also made a throwing error in Game 1, which was one of the Mets’ sloppiest games in a while. The other error in Game 1 happened when Marte bobbled Shohei Ohtani’s hit off the wall in the fourth inning, leading to a run.
One of the biggest reasons for the Mets’ turnaround since June was an overall improvement defensively. They have the personnel to consistently play crisp baseball. Against the Dodgers, it’s imperative that they do.
The Mets don’t know what they have in Kodai Senga.
Publicly, Mendoza hasn’t committed to starting Senga in Game 5. By all accounts, there’s no gamesmanship to that. Really, the Mets haven’t decided quite yet. And it’s hard to blame them.
Senga offered a dud in Game 1, lacking zip on his fastball and failing to throw his splitter with any command. Afterward, he talked about needing to make a mechanical adjustment. It’s something that Mets coaches can work with him on, but it’s also something that has popped up a couple of times in 2024 after it wasn’t discussed much in 2023. If Senga starts in Game 5, he’d probably be limited to around 60 pitches (he lasted for just 30 pitches in Game 1 but continued to throw upon coming out).
If the Mets don’t end up using David Peterson in Game 3 and Game 4, then the lefty would be a candidate to start Game 5. But considering the amount of strong left-handed batters in the Dodgers’ order, it seems unlikely that the Mets can get by without using him. Right-hander Tylor Megill is in a similar position. In such a scenario, Senga, in theory, would be available in the bullpen, but it’s unlikely he’d be used in a high-leverage situation.
Senga is preparing as if he is starting Game 5, but the Mets have yet to make a definitive call.
Edwin Díaz showed positive signs.
Things became interesting — as they sometimes do with Díaz — in the ninth inning of Game 2, but he ended up getting the job done because he pitched with conviction. With two on and no outs, Mookie Betts watched a slider from Díaz sail out of the strike zone for a ball to make the count 1-1. From there, it was all fastballs. Díaz struck out Betts, using three straight fastballs. He threw 10 more consecutive fastballs before ending the game with a slider. After finally getting a break from usage, Díaz relied on his high-velocity fastball to get strikes. When he’s been off, it’s often the product of leaning too heavily on his slider with a reluctance to attack with his fastball. To win this series, the Mets need the version of Díaz that has full confidence in his fastball.
(Photo of Mets celebrating: Harry How / Getty Images)
