Mets set for NLCS showdown with the Dodgers tonight in LA

Also - it's time to prove the naysayers wrong, again!

LA Times

What’s Up with the Mets? 🚩

• The Mets will face the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series with Game 1 set for tonight at 8:15 PM ET in Los Angeles

• Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza named Kodai Senga the club’s Game 1 starter tonight, followed by Sean Manaea tomorrow for Game 2 and Luis Severino likely starting on Wednesday for Game 3 back at Citi Field (story)

• José Iglesias’ “OMG” enjoyed a 70 percent increase in streaming on Wednesday, the night the Mets won their NLDS against the Phillies (New York Post)

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Injury Updates 🏥

• 2B Jeff McNeil (fractured right wrist) played his second straight game in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday. He played right field on Saturday after playing second base on Friday, going 1-for-5 with a single, RBI and a run scored. He is expected to join the Mets tonight for Game 1 of the NLCS

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GAME ONE

Match-up: Mets (0-0) vs. Dodgers (0-0)

Where: Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA

Starters: RHP Kodai Senga (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 6.75 ERA)

When: 8:15 PM EDT

Where to Watch: FOX

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Mets/Dodgers breakdown 🃏

• Los Angeles Dodgers

  • Went 98-64 and won the National League West, having finished five games ahead of the Padres for the division title

  • Finished with the best record in MLB in 2024

  • Spent the entire season either tied or in first place all by themselves in the National League West

  • Had a first round bye in the playoffs and defeated the Padres in the National League Division Series 3-2

  • Finished as the top seed in the National League - will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs

• New York Mets

  • Went 89-73 and won a National League Wild Card, having finished in a statistical tie with the Braves for second place in the National League East, six games behind the Phillies

  • By virtue of losing the season series/tiebreaker to the Braves, the Mets finished as the third wild card in the National League and the sixth seed in the playoffs

  • Defeated the Brewers in the National League Wild Card Series 2-1

  • Defeated the Phillies in the National League Division Series 3-1

  • Will not have home field advantage in any round of the playoffs

Season Series 🥊

• The Dodgers won the season series over the Mets 4-2

• The Mets went 2-1 at Dodger Stadium April 19-21, and then went 0-3 at Citi Field May 28-29

• The Dodgers outscored the Mets 36 to 20 in the season series

Offense ⚾️

• The Dodgers hit .258/.335/.446 with 118 wRC+, 233 home runs, 842 runs scored, 602 walks, 1336 strikeouts and 136 stolen bases

• The Mets hit .246/.319/.415 with 109 wRC+, 207 home runs, 768 runs scored, 514 walks, 1382 strikeouts and 106 stolen bases

Defense 🧤

• The Mets had 19 defensive runs saved (14th in MLB) with 8 outs above average (13th in MLB)

• The Dodgers had 65 defensive runs saved (3rd in MLB) with -4 outs above average (19th in MLB)

Pitching 💨

• Dodgers overall: 3.92 ERA, 686 runs allowed, 501 walks, 1390 strikeouts, held opponents to a .235/.304/.399 line with 198 home runs allowed

  • Dodgers rotation: 4.23 ERA, 393 runs allowed, 268 walks, 764 strikeouts, held opponents to a .244/.307/.420 line with 120 home runs allowed, averaged 4.9 innings per start

  • Dodgers bullpen: 3.53 ERA, 254 runs allowed, 233 walks, 626 strikeouts, held opponents to a .224/.301/.372 line with 78 home runs allowed, averaged 4 innings per game

• Mets overall: 3.96 ERA, 697 runs allowed, 586 walks, 1455 strikeouts, held opponents to a .230/.315/.373 line with 165 home runs allowed

  • Mets rotation: 3.91 ERA, 413 runs allowed, 335 walks, 807 strikeouts, held opponents to a .234/.312/.377 line with 78 home runs allowed, averaged 5.5 innings per start

  • Mets bullpen: 4.03 ERA, 284 runs allowed, 251 walks, 648 strikeouts, held opponents to a .218/.318/.366 line with 62 home runs allowed, averaged 3.4 innings per game

Mets and Dodgers - Playoff History 📖

• 1988 National League Championship Series: LAD 4, NYM 3

• 2006 National League Division Series: NYM 3, LAD 0

• 2015 National League Division Series: NYM 3, LAD 2

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It’s time to prove the doubters wrong, again! ✍️

AP Photo

After three days of rest and a long flight to Los Angeles, the Mets are ready to rock, again.

The Mets have been in the fortunate position to have clinched their Division Series against the Phillies in four games, allowing them to reset and take their pick in how they setup their starting rotation, afford the likes of Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz - all of whom have been heavily overworked in the last two weeks - much needed rest to get them back up to full strength, and time to decide how Jeff McNeil will fit into their roster puzzle for however long this ride lasts for the Mets into the middle and latter part of October.

All of these things are good for the Mets, and good problems for the Mets to solve as they are set to face the class of the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I say that delicately.

Yes, they won 98 games in the regular season. They have the game’s best player and the best player we have seen in perhaps forever. They’re sporting one former MVP after the next and the presumptive NL MVP in 2024.

But the Dodgers are somewhat fractured in that they didn’t even have enough pitching to get through a five-game playoff series against the Padres. Of course, they did shutout the San Diego over their final two games, so perhaps they do indeed know what they’re doing.

But in the end, they are vulnerable and the Mets might be meeting the Dodgers at their most vulnerable point of the season, giving them a fighting chance to actually win their first pennant in nine years and get to the World Series.

That’s not to say the Mets will be able to easily overcome the strength of the Dodgers. That’s an awfully great team, and while the Mets have emerged as a great team with championship caliber mojo, they have their work cut out for them beginning tonight in the NLCS.

Aside from the mojo, I do believe the Mets have a decisive paper advantage on the pitching front, and position-by-position it’s probably a break even around the diamond, at worst.

It’s also going to be a lot of fun seeing the National League’s two best players go toe-to-toe in this series.

NY Post

And as I’ve said time and time again, the Mets have the best record in baseball since May 30, a span now what’s now 4 1/2 months. That is not a small sample anymore.

Interestingly enough, May 30 is the day after the Mets were swept by the Dodgers and outscored 18-5 in three games at Citi Field, which also was the nadir of their season.

It was also the day after the Mets jettisoned Jorge López from the roster after he threw a tantrum on the field and then in the clubhouse in front of reporters.

Since then, they’ve been better than the Dodgers, better than the Guardians, and better than the Yankees. They’ve undergone a cultural transformation as much as David Stearns has turned over major parts of this roster since Opening Day as well.

All of that matters, evident by the fact the once 22-33 Mets after the Dodgers left town on May 29 are now four wins away from a pennant, eight wins away from a championship.

NY Post

What they’ve been through in the last 13 days alone shows exactly why they’ve been the best team in baseball since that date and aren’t just a fluke sixth seed team that backed into this spot in the Final Four.

Even though it’s truly hard to believe the Mets are here.

I remember at the trade deadline in 2023 and throughout the course of that summer, then Mets GM Billy Eppler, along with owner Steve Cohen and a few players who weren't shipped out talked about 2024 being a “step back,” and the odds of the Mets winning the World Series expected to be significantly lower in 2024 than it has been in previous years, among other things to suggest 2024 would be a transition year at-best.

Their moves in the off-season were considered modest. They signed a bunch of projects like Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Harrison Bader and Jose Iglesias and others to short-term contracts with the idea that they’d buy the Mets time to 2025 and/or 2026 while they waited for Max Scherzer’s money and Justin Verlander’s money to come off the books, upwards of $60 million of their current $375 million payroll.

It seemed like it was going to be a long year in 2024 six months before it ever started.

Well, they fooled me. And pretty much everyone else around the industry.

Sure, I thought the Mets would be fine in this “buy time” season. Like, I thought they’d win 83-85 games, maybe fool us into thinking they’d contend, be fun for most of the season but eventually fade behind more talented teams, such as the ones they’ve faced in the playoffs so far in 2024.

Gladly taking the loss on that one!

(so can all of you 😉)

NY Post

In past years, the playoffs have been so stressful and nerve wracking. All of it seems like it was yesterday.

I remember being so euphoric when Todd Pratt hit that homer just out of the reach of Steve Finley’s glove in the 1999 NLDS and Robin Ventura hitting the grand slam single in the pouring rain at Shea Stadium to give the Mets life in the 1999 NLCS, and being so down when Kenny Rogers eventually walked in the pennant-winning run for the Braves.

I remember being absolutely thrilled by the 2000 run only to lose all my energy when Luis Sojo bounced that 1000 hopper up the middle past everyone on the infield to essentially win the World Series for the Yankees.

Then in 2006, there was that dominant sweep of the Dodgers in the Division Series, followed by their season starting to fade against the Cardinals in Game 2 of the NLCS when So Taguchi hit that home run off of Billy Wagner in Game 2, followed by that epic loss in Game 7 a few days later.

Then of course there was the 2015 season when the Mets exploded upon the arrival of Yoenis Céspedes, basically rolled to the World Series only to pick a bad week to have a bad week, letting all of us down in their best chance to win it all since 1986.

There’s more of course - the rise of the 2016 Mets followed by the letdown in the Wild Card game, the machine that was the Mets through August, 2022 followed by the disappointment of the Mets showing flat against the Padres in that year’s Wild Card Series. The bone crusher in the 1988 NLCS against the Dodgers (and how terribly cold it was at Shea Stadium in Game 3 of that series, by the way).

But this year has been different for me.

I’ve truly enjoyed these playoffs. I am not worried about the possibility of the Mets falling off a cliff right now. I’m not getting too upset when they lose, I’m obviously happy when they win and been amazed at their heroic quality of play. But, I felt all along during July, August an September that making the playoffs in a year when most people expected them not to would be their season, and from there, it was all house money for them. And I feel like they’ve played with the same attitude. There’s no fear, they’re generally free and easy out there, they’re not trying to do things they’re incapable of, and they all seem to be relishing the moment and appreciating the opportunity to even be in a position to talk about championships.

And in the process, they’ve beaten everyone who has stood in their way so far in the tournament.

I for one am excited for the possibilities ahead. They are so good right now, and I believe they can beat anyone at this point. They’ve proven everyone wrong, they’ve shut all of the doubters up (myself included), and they just seem to be getting better as the competition in front of them gets stronger.

So, why not the Mets for the 2024 World Series? It’s time to prove the doubters wrong, again.

And if they lose, so be it. It’s been a phenomenal, breakthrough season for this franchise and for this owner. No matter what happens in the next week or two or three, I am truly excited for the years ahead under David Stearns and Steve Cohen.

Split in LA, come home and win two.

Mets in 6. Because, again, why not?

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The Championship Chase 🏆

• Lane Thomas hit a grand slam against Tarik Skubal to lead the Guardians past the Tigers 7-3 in Game 5 of their ALDS - the Guardians will face the Yankees in the ALCS beginning tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium

• The Yankees haven’t yet decided if they’ll start Carlos Rodón or Clarke Schmidt in Game 1 of the ALCS