The New York Mets magic is very much alive.
After clinching a playoff spot in epic fashion one day earlier, the Mets ambushed the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled starter Freddy Peralta before facing the Mets lineup a third time, and the Mets responded with five two-out runs in the fifth inning to pull ahead in an 8-4 win.
It was a devastating sequence for the Brewers, who had drawn first blood in the game. They sent eight men to the plate in the first inning against Mets starter Luis Severino and scored twice. The last thing the Mets needed after a doubleheader Monday was a short start from Severino. But the Mets answered immediately, with Jesse Winker’s triple spurring a three-run second inning, and Severino settled in to deliver six innings of four-run baseball.
It all unraveled for Milwaukee when Murphy went to reliever Joel Payamps in the fifth, leading by a run. With two outs, Jose Iglesias drove an RBI single to right field. Lefty Aaron Ashby entered, and the next five batters reached base: Single, single, intentional walk, single, walk. It was Mark Vientos’ two-run knock that gave the Mets a lead they would not relinquish.
Sean Manaea will take the ball in Game 2, with the Brewers on the brink of elimination. The Brewers scored six runs, five earned, against him last week. – Stephen J. Nesbitt
Getting six innings from Severino was huge
By winning the first game of Monday’s doubleheader, the Mets earned the opportunity to save Luis Severino for Tuesday’s start. Still, their bullpen had felt the impact. Before Game 1, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza left open the possibility of closer Edwin Díaz and setup reliever Phil Maton making appearances. But Díaz had thrown 60 pitches the past two days and Maton had appeared in three straight games. That likely left the Mets with solid leverage options in José Buttó, Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett, but the backend was nonetheless compromised. So, the best possible outcome for the Mets always involved Severino lasting a while.
The veteran did his part. After a lousy first inning in which he gave up two runs, Severino settled down and delivered six solid innings (eight hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts). Once the Mets spotted Severino a four-run lead with five runs in the fifth inning, he relied on his fastballs to get ahead of batters and retired six straight to complete his performance. It wasn’t Severino’s best day, but he provided the Mets with what they needed, and that’s the most important thing. — Will Sammon
Yanking Peralta was a mistake
The bullpen was a strength for the Brewers all season, with a 3.11 ERA that ranked best in the National League. Manager Pat Murphy seemed eager to deploy his relievers in Game 1, even with his ace, Freddy Peralta, starting the game. The bullpen was warming in the second inning and again at the start of the fourth, and when the door swung open for the top of the fifth, the lead and the game went with it.
Peralta had thrown only 68 pitches and retired his last nine hitters, but Joel Payamps came in to face the bottom of the order in the fifth. Payamps hadn’t allowed an earned run since August, but the Mets responded with a go-ahead five-run rally. They sent 11 batters to the plate off Payamps, Aaron Ashby and Nick Mears, and none struck out. Putting the ball in play paid off in a big way for the Mets, who turned a 4-3 deficit into an 8-4 lead, and yanking Peralta proved to be fatal for the Brewers. – Tyler Kepner
Mets show off hustle, dynamic offense
They’re not stars — well, one is, but for music — but anyone who had paid attention to the Mets this season would’ve placed second baseman Jose Iglesias and outfielder Tyrone Taylor on the Mets’ short list for tone setters. In the fifth inning, Iglesias beat out an infield hit, just as he had so many times during the regular season. On a grounder to the right side, Iglesias outran reliever Joel Payamps to first base. On the play, Taylor scored from second base. With two outs, Taylor never stopped running. Again, no surprise; he had racked up hustle plays all season with his heady style.
From there, the Mets kept scoring with a dynamic offense, the kind that also showed up Sunday against the Brewers. They waited things out, capitalized on mistakes and produced a five-run inning courtesy five hits, including four singles, and two walks.
The Mets have the edge over the Brewers when it comes to slugging and hitting home runs. In the playoffs, against top-tier pitching, power is huge. But it helps to be multi-dimensional. — Will Sammon
Postseason misery strikes again in Milwaukee
Tuesday’s loss was the 10th in 11 postseason games for the Brewers, starting with Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, when they fell at home to the Dodgers with a chance to win the second pennant in their history. In order, the Brewers have lost the 2019 NL Wild Card Game in Washington, dropped two straight to the Dodgers in the first round in 2020, lost three of four to Atlanta in a 2021 NLDS, lost both games at home to Arizona in the Wild Card Series last fall, and now this. It’s not quite the Minnesota Twins from 2003-2023… but it’s a distinct and discouraging trend. – Tyler Kepner
(Top photo of Luis Severino: John Fisher/Getty Images)
