They have bounced back so many times. The New York Mets have been there and defied the odds. They have inspired skeptics to say they are destined to do something special in October.
Though Wednesday evening at Citi Field there was no comeback in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The Mets had no late inning comeback in them, then again the Dodgers never gave them a chance in Game 3. The Dodgers 8-0 win was their second shutout over the Mets in the series.
Heading to the exits early was the right choice of many in the sold-out crowd of 43,883. The rally towels went quiet prior to Shohei Ohtani hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inning.
No late inning comeback dramatics this time and this Mets team is now trailing the Dodgers 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. Manager Carlos Mendoza will need to look ahead to Game 4 Thursday night.in what is now a must win.
Must win? The Mets have heard this time and time again and overcoming a loss has been a staple of this resilient team, a theme of their turnaround season. But this loss in a postseason series will test their resilience, after all this is the playoff baseball and there is minimal time to think about a plan.
Another loss to the Dodgers and the Mets will confront their biggest challenge of the season with an elimination game Friday evening.
They have been here and defied the odds. The Francisco Lindor two-run homer against the Braves that got them the last NL Wild Card spot, the Pete Alonso three run homer in the ninth inning in the do or die game 3 of the NL Wild Card round against the Brewers and a Lindor grand slam that beat the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS. All those heroics catapulted them to wins and stopped doubts about the Mets ability to have that ability to comeback.
Similar to those championship rounds of a fight; the Mets have adapted to bouncing off the canvas after a knockout. Indeed, they did not score that knockout in Game 3, because an opportunity to bounce back was never in their hands. They trailed early as the Dodgers continued to defy their skeptics and look to take a 3-1 series lead.
But the Mets had no comeback in Game 3. Ohtani with a convincing three-run homer in the eighth inning, and Kiki Hernandez earlier with a two-run homer in the sixth. The Dodgers would have a 4-0 lead after the Hernandez home run, but the Mets and their loyal fans would still believe they could overcome the odds.
It didn’t work Wednesday night but we have learned they can bounce back.
But can this Mets team bounce back and make this a series again? One thing is known, as significant as this loss was, the Mets won’t bow their heads. Win Thursday night and they are right back in it.
“The guys that are in there got us to this point,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And I’m pretty confident they’ll come through.”
But two shutouts in three games, including their opening 9-0 loss in Game 1, proposes the questions. Will Mendoza change the lineup because Dodgers Righthander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 5.63 ERA) postseason will be on the mound? It’s something the manager will contemplate before Thursday.
“We’re facing Yamamoto, as far as I know,” Mendoza said. “I think they announced it. When you look at his numbers, his splits, he’s reversed. He’s been a lot better against lefties.”
Yamamoto pitches a lot better against lefties, so the lineup could see more of a right handed presence. Regardless, as Mendoza said this is the postseason and facing tough pitching is always going to be a task, even though the Dodgers struggled with their rotation during the season.
But their rotation in this series hardly resembles those struggles that Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts had to confront during their regular season. Injuries to a third of their rotation and bullpen issues were prevalent. The postseason though is a different ballgame.
And the struggles of catcher Francisco Alvarez continue, a concern since lacing an RBI single in game 2 of the NL Wild Card series at Milwaukee. He was 0-for-3, with three strikeouts last night. (.143, 13 strikeouts are his postseason numbers)
The Mets stranded six runners in the first three innings against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler. Alvarez is not going to sit down, Mendoza hinted there would not be a change in the lineup.
“I think offensively he’s in between. I think he’s late making his move, which is not allowing him to make some good swing decisions,” Mendoza said. “That’s why you see him at times taking the fastball or late on the fastball and then chasing. That tells you right there that we have a guy that is late getting ready. But he’s a good hitter. He’s a good player. We’re facing an elite pitching staff as well. He’ll come through for us.”
After that opening game shutout loss in the series, the Mets bounced right back and got their important split on the road. They have always defied the odds and expect to do the same in game 4 tonight.
Mets starter Luis Severino fell behind 2-0 in the second inning due to some misplays in the field. He threw 95 pitches and walked four in 4 2/3 innings in taking the loss. They have to bounce back. The implications are obvious. Then again, these are the Mets who always defy the skeptics after a loss.
“They executed their pitches. We got to execute when we have people in scoring position. That’s part of the game and hope we come back tomorrow and execute. It’s part of the game,” Lindor said. He left the bases loaded in the second inning, but it’s baseball and you can’t come through every time.
“You got to live with it and come back tomorrow,” he said. “You got the flush this one, turn the page and learn from it and come back tomorrow and focus on winning.”
No question, the Mets need a win Thursday night. They have been here before and who is to question their ability to bounce back, though this is the NLCS. It’s a different situation in October.
Rich Mancuso: X (Twitter) @Ring 786 Facebook.com./Rich Mancuso
About the Author
Rich Mancuso
Rich Mancuso is a regular contributor at NY Sports Day, covering countless New York Mets, Yankees, and MLB teams along with some of the greatest boxing matches over the years. He is an award winning sports journalist and previously worked for The Associated Press, New York Daily News, Gannett, and BoxingInsider.com, in a career that spans almost 40 years.