The MVP and the Swaggy one homer in Game 2 victory.
After getting blanked by the Dodgers in Game 1, the Mets needed to rebound and shake off the loss. They did that and then some, beating the Dodgers 7-3, tying the series at 1-1 and sending the series to Citi Field.
The Dodgers entered play with a 23 inning scoreless streak under their belts. It took the Mets one batter to snap it.
Francisco Lindor faced off against Ryan Brasier, the first man up in the Dodgers’ bullpen game and, on the eighth pitch, launched a ball over the right field wall to put the Mets up 1-0.
After the Mets didn’t get a man on base after Lindor, Sean Manaea took the mound and was sharp from the start, striking out Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. After a walk to Teoscar Hernández, Freddie Freeman flew out to right field to end the inning.
The Mets added on quickly, and decisively, in the top of the second against new pitcher Landon Knack. Starling Marte led the inning off with a single, and was moved to second after Jesse Winker had a long at-bat that resulted in a walk. After a José Iglesias pop up, Tyrone Taylor laced a high fastball down the left-field line, scoring Marte and putting men on second and third with one out. Francisco Alvarez, still slumping, popped out to shortstop, and it looked like the Mets may squander the opportunity to really add on.
They didn’t.
After an intentional walk to Lindor, Mark Vientos worked a long at bat but finally saw the pitch he wanted, and drilled a pitch just over the right-center field wall for a grand slam, and all of a sudden, the Mets were up 6-0.
In the third, the Mets continued to grind against Knack. Pete Alonso led off the inning with a single. After a couple of outs, Iglesias lined a single into left field and Taylor walked, loading the bases again, this time for Alvarez. He couldn’t deliver though, popping out to center field to end the frame.
Anthony Banda worked a scoeless fourth, giving way for Brent Honeywell Jr. in the fifth. Honeywell allowed a hit and a hit by pitch put two on for Alvarez. However, the pop-up streak continued, flying out to center field to end the frame.
The first blemish for Manaea came on the fifth, when Max Muncy crushed a solo home run to right field to put the Dodgers on the board. Manaea continued his success against Ohtani, after two strikeouts earlier in the game, Manaea induced a weak pop up from Ohtani to end the frame and the threat.
In the sixth, Manaea started to falter, walking Betts and Hernández to open the frame, bringing up the hobbling Freeman. Freeman hit what looked to be a double play ball, but Iglesias bobbled a ball that bounced off the mound, and all the runners were safe.
He wouldn’t face another batter.
Phil Maton was first out of the Mets’ bullpen today, and induced a pop up to Iglesias for the first out. Tommy Edman grounded a ball down to Alonso that got under his glove, and led to two runs scoring, making it 6-3 with Muncy coming to the plate as the tying run. Muncy worked out a walk, loading the bases and bringing up Kiké Hernández. He would ground into a double play that the Dodgers challenged both parts of, even though only the play at first was even close. It didn’t matter, the calls on the field stood, and the Mets escaped with just two runs scored in an inning that could’ve been much, much worse.
Honeywell, who looks like he stepped out of an 1980s college comedy, didn’t let the Mets answer back in the seventh, stranding Marte on second after a one-out double to complete three-innings of work.
Maton continued into the seventh inning and, after getting Andy Pages to pop out, Maton pitched around Ohtani, walking him on four pitches. That would be the end for Maton, and he was replaced by Ryne Stanek, who sat down Betts on three shadows-enhanced pitches for the second out. A Teoscar Hernández ground ball to third ended the inning.
Edgardo Henriquez pitched the eighth for the Dodgers and was able to induce a weak pop up from Taylor for the first out. Alvarez reached base on a pitch count violation that led to a walk. However, the Mets couldn’t add any insurance runs, and sent Stanek back out for the bottom of the eighth.
As has been their wont in the postseason, Iglesias moved to third and Luisangel Acuña entered the game at second for the last six outs. Stanek induced a one-hopper to Acuña for the first out. Will Smith then hit a line drive that Nimmo had to reach over his head to catch. Nimmo, dealing with some plantar fasciitis, looked a little sore running in the outfield, but was able to make the play. A Edman single brought Muncy to the plate with two outs. Stanek walked Muncy, which led to Edwin Díaz entering, looking for a four-out save.
Kiké Hernández represented the tying run. A double steal pushed the runners to second and third, but it didn’t matter, as a weak fly out to Marte ended the inning and the threat.
Henriquez came back out for the ninth, which saw an one-out Alonso walk and [checks notes] stolen base? After working a full count, Marte lined a single up the middle, scoring Alonso on a great throw but a perfect slide. Winker kept the line moving, lining a single over second that pushed Marte to third. But that would be all the offense for the Mets, with Taylor grounding out to third to end the top of the ninth.
Díaz now had a slightly larger cushion coming into the ninth, and also got a defensive upgrade with Taylor moving to left and Harrison Bader coming into the game to play center field, letting the hurting Nimmo rest. Pages hit a single up the middle to bring Ohtani on with a runner on. Pages would steal second off of Díaz, which wouldn’t matter as Ohtani walked for the second time today. With two out and no out, Betts struck out, keeping the tying run from getting to the plate. Teoscar Hernández struck out swinging to put the Dodgers down to their final out.
Freeman represented the Dodgers’ last chance, and he struck out on a low slider to end the game.
This was the game the Mets needed, neutralizing the Dodgers’ big bats – especially Ohtani and Betts – and letting Manaea cook. The bullpen made things a little more interesting, but no one was overworked, and the team should return to Queens rested and ready for the three-game homestand.
With a travel day tomorrow, Game 3 happens Wednesday at 8:08pm, with Luis Severino facing off against (likely) Walker Buehler. LFGM.
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Win Probability Added
Fangraphs.com
Big Mets winner: Mark Vientos, +16.9% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Alvarez, -7.0% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +17.4% WPA
Total batter WPA: +32.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos’s grand slam, +20.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Tommy Edman’s two-run single, -11.0% WPA