LIVE: Mets-Dodgers NLCS Game 2 (FOX/FS1)
Anthony DiComo
@AnthonyDiComo
Juan Toribio
@juanctoribioLOS ANGELES -- While the Mets will enter National League Championship Series Game 2 on Monday afternoon hoping to head back home with a series split and momentum on their side, the Dodgers know they can smother those plans if they simply never allow a run.
Easy, right? Los Angeles will bring a Major League-record-tying 33-inning scoreless streak into Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. If the Mets don¡¯t find a way to snap it, they¡¯ll end up in a much deeper hole.
¡°This is going to be a long series, so we¡¯re just going to have to continue to go out there and continue to battle and come with that same confidence,¡± Mets outfielder Starling Marte said through an interpreter. ¡°The motivation of this team and the energy is still here.¡±
The Dodgers¡¯ Game 1 win gave them a firm advantage over the Mets in this best-of-seven series, but not an insurmountable one. Under the current 2-3-2 format, teams winning Game 1 at home, as the Dodgers did, have gone on to take the series 67% of the time.
This Mets team has certainly come back from worse, beating the favored Braves to clinch a playoff spot in their 161st game, then upsetting a pair of division champions in the Brewers and Phillies over the first two rounds of the playoffs.
¡°It's a really good team over there still,¡± Dodgers Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty said. ¡°We'll enjoy tonight, but we've got a quick turnaround.¡±
If the Mets want to even the series, they¡¯ll need to do so against Los Angeles¡¯ vaunted relief pitchers. The Dodgers are planning to counteract Mets starter Sean Manaea with a bullpen game, which has become their specialty this postseason.
¡°Just because it¡¯s not a [traditional] starter doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not going to have a big league game,¡± Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. ¡°They have a really good team on the other side, and they¡¯re comfortable enough to go out there and bring their bullpen, because they have a good bullpen. So we¡¯ve just got to learn from today, come back tomorrow and put it all together.¡±
Here¡¯s everything you need to know about Game 2:
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 2 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium is airing right now on FOX and FS1.
All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Mets: LHP Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA in the regular season)
The Mets¡¯ best starter since he dropped his arm slot in late July, Manaea finished the regular season with a 3.09 ERA over his final 12 outings and has maintained that success with a 2.25 mark in two postseason starts. His last effort, a seven-inning, one-run performance in NLDS Game 3, was perhaps the most impactful of his career.
Manaea held the Dodgers to two runs over five innings in their only meeting this season, rebounding from a lengthy history of struggles against them. He called his Game 2 start another opportunity ¡°to go out there and prove again¡± that he¡¯s a different, better pitcher at this point in his career.
Dodgers: RHP Ryan Brasier
Brasier will once again open for the Dodgers, who last deployed a bullpen game in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres, and it worked to perfection with nine shutout innings. Brasier hurled 1 1/3 innings in that contest, striking out one.
What are the starting lineups?
Mets: Manager Carlos Mendoza¡¯s daily lineup decisions are becoming more interesting now that Jeff McNeil is healthy, but McNeil, who served as a pinch-hitter in Game 1, was not in the lineup. Mendoza went with Jesse Winker over J.D. Martinez at DH for the second straight game, as the Mets are facing a team without as many left-handed pitchers as the Brewers and Phillies.
1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Mark Vientos, 3B
3. Brandon Nimmo, LF
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Starling Marte, RF
6. Jesse Winker, DH
7. Jose Iglesias, 2B
8. Tyrone Taylor, CF
9. Francisco Alvarez, C
Dodgers: Things are a little different for the Dodgers as they face their first lefty starter this postseason. Freddie Freeman was moved down to cleanup, with Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez sliding up to the three-hole. Andy Pages got the start in center field, and Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez earned the nod over lefty swinger Gavin Lux at second base. Manager Dave Roberts said Lux, who had a hip flexor tighten up in Game 1, is available to pinch-hit.
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Teoscar Hernández, LF
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Will Smith, C
6. Tommy Edman, SS
7. Max Muncy, 3B
8. Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez, 2B
9. Andy Pages, CF
How will the bullpens line up after each team's starter?
Mets: David Peterson¡¯s heavy usage in Game 1 will take him out of play at least for Game 2, and possibly even beyond that if the Mets plan to rely on him for significant innings in a potential Game 5. Outside of Peterson, the Mets at least avoided using their other high-leverage options in Game 1. Closer Edwin D¨ªaz should be available for more than an inning in Game 2, and the Mets can lean on setup relievers Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton for large workloads, as well.
Dodgers: The Dodgers should have all their arms available out of the bullpen after Jack Flaherty was able to give L.A. seven dominant innings in Game 1. Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen will be tasked with facing the middle of the Mets¡¯ lineup. Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier and Daniel Hudson give L.A. some other quality options in relief. If the Dodgers need multiple innings from a reliever, they have Landon Knack, Ben Casparius and Brent Honeywell Jr. available.
Any injuries of note?
Mets: Although McNeil hasn¡¯t seen much live pitching since he fractured his right wrist on Sept. 6, he did pick up 10 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League. Mendoza said McNeil¡¯s contact approach lends itself well to a successful return despite his lack of recent reps. In any case, McNeil is fully healthy and capable of contributing when the Mets call on him.
Nimmo revealed after Game 1 that he is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but indicated it would not keep him out of the lineup.
None of the seven players on the Mets¡¯ injured list -- Paul Blackburn, Christian Scott, Dedniel N¨²?ez, Sean Reid-Foley, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley and Ronny Mauricio -- will return this year.
Dodgers: Freeman continues to deal with a badly sprained right ankle and will continue to be a game-time decision before every game. Lux left Game 1 with a hip tightness and could be unavailable in Game 2.
Who is hot and who is not?
Mets: The only hits in Game 1 came from the bottom half of the lineup. Notably, the Dodgers managed to cool off Lindor, Vientos and Alonso, who had carried them during the NL Division Series. Vientos had his string of four consecutive multihit games snapped, and Nimmo failed to reach base for the first time since Sept. 28.
Dodgers: Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez added to his postseason legend, coming through with two more hits in Game 1. Betts has also had a strong postseason and delivered the final blow in Game 1, a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning. On the other hand, the Dodgers could use some more production from Smith, who has struggled at the plate over the past couple months.
Anything else fans might want to know?
? This is the fourth postseason meeting between the Mets and Dodgers, dating to a 1988 NLCS win for Los Angeles in what¡¯s still considered one of the greatest postseason series. The Mets earned some revenge in the 2006 NLDS, sweeping the Dodgers, and again in a highly entertaining 2015 NLDS win.
? While the Mets led Major League Baseball with a 67-40 record from May 30 through the end of the season, the Dodgers weren¡¯t far behind, at 62-42. Both ranked in MLB¡¯s top five over that stretch.
? Keep an eye on Betts, who doubled home three runs in the eighth inning of Game 1 and has owned Manaea over the years. In 32 career at-bats against the left-hander, Betts has produced a slash line of .313/.371/.781 with two doubles, two triples and three home runs.