The New York Mets entered Sunday night’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers off one of their season’s best games. Needing a response after suffering a crushing defeat in the series opener, David Peterson gave the Mets exactly what was needed. In what was likely his best career start, he shut down the powerful Dodgers’ lineup, going 7 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, two runs, and striking out seven.
Los Angeles has been the standard that New York is striving towards. The defending World Series champion Dodgers knocked the Mets out of the playoffs last season. They pried a victory out of the jaws of defeat Friday night, New York responded with its typical fortitude Saturday to grab the victory. Could they now win the series and make a statement against Los Angeles?
Requiring a win in a high-stakes matchup, who better to go to than Kodai Senga? He has years of experience in pressure-packed games going back to his days in Japan. His mound presence rises all around him, exactly what the Mets clamored for to try to take the series.
Senga started with a much-anticipated matchup with the best player in the game, Shohei Ohtani. The two have a lengthy history of showdowns from their time in Japan, and they never disappoint. Ohtani struck immediately with a monster blast over right center. Could Senga shake it off? It didn’t seem that way at first.
Mark Vientos made a fielding error, allowing Mookie Betts to reach base. Freddie Freeman followed with a double, the Dodgers had men on second and third with no outs. They looked ready to explode for one of their usual crooked-number innings. Will Smith smoked a line drive to center, and the play of the game occurred.
Tyrone Taylor has made a reputation as an outstanding center fielder. He lived up to it by catching Smith’s line drive and throwing a beeline to catcher Luis Torrens. The outstanding toss nabbed swift Betts before he crossed the plate. New York got a much-needed double play instead of Los Angeles adding to its lead. Senga did the rest.
Senga had control difficulties, walking four and raising his pitch count high into the 6th. He has performed magnificently with men on base all season, and he did so again against the Dodgers. Los Angeles couldn’t string together hits and stayed stuck on one run. Senga ended his evening pitching 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, one run, and striking out five.
Senga couldn’t go past the 6th. Once again, the bullpen needed to step up, and it did so in fantastic fashion. Ryne Stanek, who has struggled over the last few weeks and desperately needed a positive outcome, grabbed the baton from Senga. He immediately shut the Dodgers down, inducing a double play by Andy Pages.
Max Kranick followed next; he, like Stanek, has had a recent difficult stretch. Could he keep Los Angeles in check and maintain the Mets’ momentum? He responded with an emphatic “YES!” He pitched a perfect two innings, dominating the dynamic Dodgers’ lineup.
Closer Edwin Diaz couldn’t go in the 9th, as he worked the previous two nights. Reid Garrett stepped in. Would he perform a great Diaz impersonation? He did so in high-flying style, striking out two, including ex-Met Michael Conforto, to end the game!
New York’s relief corps pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one hit, zero runs, and striking out two. Runs proved difficult to come by, the bullpen ensured that the Mets wouldn’t need many. They impressed even more by doing it without their closer.
Pete Alonso hit a multi-week slump after tearing the cover off the ball in April. His slowdown coincided with New York’s recent struggles scoring. He stopped hitting home runs, and the drought extended into a career-worst stretch. Juan Soto has had adjustment difficulties to being the highest-paid player in the game, so getting Alonso back on track is imperative.
The Mets survived a potentially big Dodgers first inning with outstanding defense. Good teams respond quickly to adversity; could the bats get going? Alonso provided a dramatic answer by blasting a 406-foot power bomb over left center, ending his HR drought. The cannon shot served as the winning runs in the game and should help get his confidence back on track.
New York showed fantastic fortitude coming back from Friday night’s devastating defeat. Their mental toughness can never be questioned, and they won a huge statement series against Los Angeles.
The Mets must now build off it. Over the next 13 games, they play the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies nine times. This upcoming week, they face the two teams at home; the White Sox are 5-21 on the road, and the Rockies have a pathetic 3-22 record.
The Philadelphia Phillies passed New York by taking advantage of a recent favorable schedule that included games against the Rockies, the Athletics, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The favor must be returned; the Mets are 17-11 against teams with a losing record. They have raised their game against strong opponents like the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. Letdowns have occurred against weak teams like the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.
Danger exists in a comedown after taking a big series against Los Angeles. Can New York stay sharp, motivated, and play with intensity this week? Manager Carlos Mendoza has become one of the better skippers in the game; he will need to keep his team from getting comfortable.
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