Game Chat: Dodgers vs Mets, 5:08 p.m.

Friday, October 18, 2024 • 5:08 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17) vs. LHP David Peterson (10-3, 2.90)
FS1

The Mets play an elimination game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS this afternoon for the first time since Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. It has been a wild couple of weeks for New York, but this team fought through adversity all regular season as well as up to this stage in the playoffs, meaning they are battle-tested.

When they have been pushed all the way to the brink, they have pushed back. Do they have a little more magic left in the tank?

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Brandon Nimmo – LF
3. Mark Vientos – 3B
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jesse Winker – DH
6. Starling Marte – RF
7. Tyrone Taylor – CF
8. Jeff McNeil – 2B
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

David Peterson gets the start this afternoon! Over 21 games in the regular season, he tossed 121 innings with a 2.90 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.289 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. He ended the year with an amazing seven inning outing against the Milwaukee Brewers, holding them to only one run. The left-hander allowed no runs and four hits in his first three relief appearances this postseason over 6 1/3 innings. Peterson’s first start of the season was against the Dodgers, where he allowed two earned runs and scattered seven hits over five innings.

In his one relief outing against Los Angeles this series, he allowed two earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Austin Barnes 0-1, BB, K
• Mookie Betts 2-9, 2B, K
• Tommy Edman 1-1
• Freddie Freeman 6-19, 2 HR, BB, 7 K
• Enrique Hernández 4-7, 2B, 2 K
• Teoscar Hernández 2-5, HR
• Gavin Lux 0-2, BB
• Max Muncy 2-5, HR, K
• Shohei Ohtani 3-8, K
• Andy Pages 1-2
• Will Smith 2-3, 2B, HR, BB
• Chris Taylor 0-5, 3 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Shohei Ohtani – DH
2. Mookie Betts – RF
3. Teoscar Hernández – LF
4. Freddie Freeman – 1B
5. Tommy Edman – SS
6. Enrique Hernández – 2B
7. Max Muncy – 3B
8. Will Smith – C
9. Andy Pages – CF

The Mets’ bats will look to exorcise their demons this afternoon against Jack Flaherty. He had a fantastic start against the Mets in Game 1, holding them to two hits and two walks on no runs over seven innings. Against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings. In Flaherty’s four starts between Sept. 14 and Oct. 6, he allowed 14 runs across 19 1/3 frames.

The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Jose Iglesias 1-7, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 4-25, HR, BB, 8 K
• J.D. Martinez 1-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3
• Tyrone Taylor 0-6, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 9-24, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 3 K

Game Notes

Per Newsday’s Tim Healey, manager Carlos Mendoza stated that Peterson is slated to throw up to 80 pitches.

The Mets’ “Plan A” does not include using Kodai Senga out of the bullpen, though he is available if needed. Sean Manaea, on the other hand, is not a relief candidate as he would start Game 6 if the team were to extend the series.

Mendoza added that Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz could combine to log 12 outs if necessary.

Three Things To Watch For

1. How do the Mets come out of the gate? During the last series in September against the Brewers, the Mets came out tight and took some of the worst at-bats we saw this season. It appeared as though they were trying to do too much, and the Brewers just ran all over the Mets. At the end of the series, New York looked like their loose, fun selves and smashed the Brewers. Then, they did the same thing against the Atlanta Braves to clinch a playoff spot. They have every reason to come out tight this afternoon against a pitcher that shut them down earlier in the week, but how they perform in the first inning will tell us a lot about how the day goes.
2. No free passes! The Mets allowed 22 walks over the first three games of the series. The key for Thursday’s game was to limit the free passes, and instead they gifted the Dodgers nine free passes. It’s difficult to win when you walk opposing hitters so often, especially against a lineup as potent as Los Angeles’, so the Mets need to keep the base paths as clear as possible to give themselves a chance.
3. Mets’ big hitters need to come through. The Mets scored only two runs on Thursday on 10 hits. Several times throughout the game, they would get a rally going only to do nothing with it. At the end of the night, they were 0-for-10 with RISP while stranding 12 runners. Vientos provided a huge solo shot at the start of the game, and the Mets need someone to step up in a big moment today as well to score some runs.

Let’s go Mets!

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