Kodai Senga and the Mets lay an egg in NLCS opener, trail 1-0
And hey, nobody said it would be easy, but the Mets can't lose with their best available options on the bench
What’s Up with the Mets? 🚩
The Mets laid an egg in game one of the NLCS, falling to the Dodgers 9-0 in LA on Sunday night (Box)
RHP Kodai Senga started on the mound for the Mets and just didn’t have it, walking an alarming four hitters in just 1.1 innings, while allowing three runs on two hits, and not striking anybody out. He took the loss
With Senga getting only four outs, the Mets were forced to use half of their bullpen to get through the game, with Reed Garrett, David Peterson, Danny Young, and Jose Butto all needing to get more than four outs
New York’s offense simply could not get anything going against Jack Flaherty and the Dodgers bullpen, collecting just three singles on the night, helping to extend the Dodgers scoreless streak to 33 consecutive innings
Mets pitching issued seven walks on the night, and the defense committed two errors to compound the Mets woes in Game 1
Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza did not commit to starting Senga later in this series
Roster Moves 📰
2B Jeff McNeil added to the Mets NLCS roster
RHP Adam Ottavino dropped from the NLCS roster
Moment of the Game ⭐
This one seems pretty easy to me. Kodai Senga was struggling mightily to throw strikes in the first inning, and had just issued three consecutive one out walks to Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez to load the bases. And still, after a first pitch fly out to center field from Will Smith, Senga was at the precipice of surviving the frame unscathed.
When Max Muncy stepped into the box, the stage was set for the first real momentum swing of the NLCS. Had Senga been able to get him out, the Mets would’ve received an emotional boost from surviving an early LA threat. Instead, Muncy roped a two-run single to center and the Dodgers were off and running.
GAME ONE
Match-up: Mets (0-1) vs. Dodgers (1-0)
Where: Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (1-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. TBD
When: 4:08 PM EDT
Where to Watch: FOX
Nobody said it was going to be easy ✍️
by Justin Mears
The last time the Mets made it to the National League Championship Series nine years ago, they easily swept aside the Cubs four games to none to advance to their first World Series in a decade and a half. Led by Daniel Murphy’s historic home run prowess, New York jumped all over Chicago early and the outcome of the series was simply never in doubt.
We didn’t seriously think it would be that easy this time around, did we?
The 2024 Dodgers are unlike any team Major League Baseball has seen in recent memory.
They have three MVP award winners hitting 1-3 in their lineup, led by the best player on the planet, and the rest of their everyday lineup is littered with household names.
This is simply put, the most formidable foe the Mets—or anyone else for that matter—will encounter.
In Game 1 last night, the Dodgers stars took center stage and showed the national audience why they’ve been considered the favorites to win the World Series since the winter.
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman combined to go 5-for-11 with three walks and five RBI. Defensively, the Mets certainly did not help their cause as two errors led to a pair of unearned runs for LA.
Not that it really would have mattered.
After three days off the Mets offense was flat from the start, as Jack Flaherty and two LA relievers combined to shut New York out and allow only three singles.
As discouraging as Sunday night’s loss was, I think it’s important to not overreact. Before the series even started, the Mets objective was to split the first two games in LA, steal homefield advantage, and get back to the friendly confines of Citi Field. That goal is still very much attainable, particularly with southpaw Sean Manaea on the bump for the good guys tonight.
From an offensive depth standpoint, we knew going in that this was going to be a challenge. But the one area the Mets have an advantage in this series—at least on paper—is starting pitching. The Dodgers only have three legitimate starting pitching options on their roster and will throw a bullpen game in game two.
While this is not an elimination game obviously, it’s as close to a must win as the Mets have played in 2024. Manaea has been the Mets best pitcher all year, and he gives New York a clear edge on the mound in this one.
Coming into the series my expectation was that we all had better buckle up and settle in for tension filled week with a series that may well go the distance. Nothing about what happened last night has changed my mind. The Mets have full confidence in Manaea’s ability to get deep in the game, they’ve got a well rested Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, and Edwin Diaz, and an offense that has consistently responded every time it’s been knocked down.
Last night sucked, but it can all be forgiven with nine good innings tonight.
Have faith, and LFGM.
Don’t lose with the best available options on the bench… ✍️
by Michael Baron
As we’ve seen in his first two outings since returning from the injured list, Kodai Senga simply isn’t ready to pitch in the big leagues, let alone pitch in playoff games.
Make no mistake - it was clear why the Mets needed to deploy him as their Game 1 starter against the Phillies. The Mets didn’t really have anyone else, their bullpen was taxed, their rotation was out of sorts and out of sync after scrambling just to get in with the doubleheader against the Braves followed by three straight playoff games with no rest in between.
It made sense to ask for and hope Senga could give 2-3 innings. His stuff wasn’t great, his command wasn’t great, but he at least bough the Mets outs in the first part of the game that day and bridged the game to the Mets bullpen, albeit having allowed a home run and a walk that night to the Phillies.
But even if the Mets expected him to improve upon that up and down outing in Philadelphia on Sunday night in Los Angeles, they didn’t need to start him at all with a fully rested Sean Manaea available as well as a fully rested Luis Severino.
That’s not to say the Mets would’ve won the game anyway. Jack Flaherty and the rest of the Dodger pitching staff is on another planet right now. They’re literally not giving up any runs, having run the team’s scoreless streak to 33 straight innings in the playoffs. No matter how Senga might’ve pitched, no matter how David Peterson might’ve pitched, no matter how José Buttó might’ve pitched, the Mets can’t win if they can’t score runs.
They still might’ve lost.
But in the playoffs, especially in the playoffs, losses hurt extra bad when the best available players aren’t playing. That’s not to say Senga can’t or won’t be good again - he will.
The Mets are just asking him to make rehab starts during the playoffs, on the road, in Philadelphia and now in Los Angeles.
It’s an impossible ask for a starting pitcher who has thrown the sum total of five regular season innings in 2024, relies so much on the precision of his secondary pitches and both routine and preparation to be what the Mets need him to be as well as what Senga wants himself to be out there on the biggest stage of his life.
And it was clear from the jump Senga was not going to be competitive on Sunday, and he wore it all on his face too when he couldn’t execute his pitches, which signaled a complete meltdown.
The Mets probably should have run Manaea out there last night as a result. Their rotation would’ve been fine the rest of the way too and they could’ve deployed Senga in a different manner at home later in the week.
I get what they were trying to do - it’s just a risk when risks weren’t warranted.
Again, who knows what might’ve happened. Maybe Manaea would’ve matched Flaherty toe-to-toe and the game would’ve been winnable under different circumstances, albeit a low-scoring affair. Maybe Manaea blows it all up just like Senga did. Maybe the Mets get shutout anyway.
But, don’t lose with the best available players watching.
The Championship Chase 🏆
The Yankees will start Carlos Rodón in Game 1 of the ALCS tonight against the Guardians, who will counter with Alex Cobb at Yankee Stadium
Senga last night a total disaster and put them in a hole from the start. The bats non existent, but give Flaherty credit for a terrific outing. Need a W to go back to Citi Field 1--1, and at the worst head back to LA up 3-2 this coming weekend
He was dismal. How could Taylor not throw out a hobbling Freeman at home?