LOS ANGELES — Here are four takeaways from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-5 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the NLCS. By virtue of the victory, the Dodgers face the New York Yankees on Friday in Game 1 of the World Series.
Tommy Edman’s deadline acquisition paid off big time
Tommy Edman’s two-run double against Sean Manaea in the first inning put the Dodgers on top and a two-run homer in his next at-bat opened the night up for the bullpen game to have breathing room.
The big night underscored that this under-the-radar pickup was one of the front office’s wisest moves.
The Dodgers’ interest in Edman dates back years, but acquiring him this summer was complicated. It wasn’t until Edman was being discussed in a deal to the Chicago White Sox for right-hander Erick Fedde that the Dodgers jumped into what would be a three-team deal, landing Edman and Michael Kopech (who started Game 6’s bullpen game) in the process.
Edman’s been a godsend ever since, sliding between center field and shortstop (exclusively the latter this series with Miguel Rojas’ injury) and emerging as a key run-producer along the way.
Mets offense can’t come through with the big hit
All series long, manager Carlos Mendoza has said he liked his team’s at-bats and how it keeps giving itself a chance at a big inning. And yet, that big hit proved elusive, and never more so than in Game 6.
The Mets stranded two runners in the first, two more in the second, three in the third and three more in the sixth.
The biggest at-bats belonged to Jeff McNeil in the third and Jesse Winker in the sixth. Facing lefty Anthony Banda with the bases loaded in a 2-1 game, McNeil submitted one of his ugliest at-bats of the season. He swung through a hittable fastball to start and waved weakly at a slider in the dirt for strike three.
In the sixth, Winker faced Evan Phillips with the sacks loaded and two outs in a 6-3 game. His at-bat was more competitive than McNeil’s, but it ended with an innocent fly ball to left that Teoscar Hernández caught on a jog.
For the night, the Mets went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. In their four losses this series, New York went 2-for-27 in that spot. Add in that LA outhomered the Mets 11-5 in the series, and they just couldn’t keep pace.
It wasn’t perfect, but the Dodgers’ bullpen game did its job
Bullpen games are fickle, particularly the more and more you count on them.
“The more decisions anyone has to make, the more chances you are to be wrong,” Dave Roberts said before this October.
It sure looked that way early when Michael Kopech issued a four-pitch walk to lead off the game, then fired a fastball past catcher Will Smith for a wild pitch. Getting out of that with only one run allowed set a tone for the Dodgers relievers who bent but never gave up over nine innings. Rookie Ben Casparius helped the Dodgers bridge their leverage arms by recording four outs. Anthony Banda got up twice. So did Ryan Brasier. Together, they managed to make the Dodgers’ early advantage stand.
Pitching looms large on the Mets’ offseason priority list
By the second inning, Sean Manaea was up to 52 pitches. In the third inning, he allowed a two-run home run. His final start: two innings, five earned runs. It was clear he didn’t have it.
The Mets bet on bouncebacks by signing Manaea and Luis Severino. It worked out for the Mets; both pitchers performed well and stayed healthy. In the postseason, though, workload concerns caught up to them.
Assuming Manaea opts out (extremely likely), the Mets have three openings in their rotation (Severino and Jose Quintana are free agents). Strong seasons from Manaea and Severino should show free agents that the Mets can help pitchers rediscover performance. But the Mets could use more stability and more pitchers who are used to logging important innings down the stretch. With a free-agent class that includes pitchers like Corbin Burnes, it’ll be interesting to see how the Mets go about filling their rotation. Kodai Senga and David Peterson will be back plus they have internal candidates in Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill, José Buttó and prospect Brandon Sproat.
A similar issue popped up in the bullpen. The Mets simply did not have enough impact relievers. Injuries played a role as Drew Smith, Dedniel Núñez and Brooks Raley were all lost for the season at varying points. Late in the NLCS, the Mets could confidently rely on just Ryne Stanek (a free agent) and closer Edwin Díaz. Sunday the workload caught up to Stanek.
There will be openings in the bullpen, including high-leverage spots.
(Photo Dave Roberts celebrating Tommy Edman’s home run: Harry How / Getty Images)
