Amazin' Clubhouse

The Amazin's were blanked 8-0 on Wednesday night at Citi Field as Will Smith and Tommy Edman drove in an RBI each off of starter Luis Severino.

Kiki Hernandez blasted a two-run homer in the sixth and Shohei Ohtani belted a three-run long ball that appeared to be foul into right field in the eighth off New York's pen , but it was called a fair ball.

With that, the route was on. The Mets had no answers for the sorcery of the Los Angeles pen or starter Walker Buehler who went four scoreless and struck out six.

The Mets have the next two nights at Citi Field and will need to take both for a realistic chance of winning the series.

Francisco Lindor set the tone with a leadoff home run and Mark Vientos followed with a second inning grand slam to bust the game wide open. Dave Roberts opted to walk Lindor to face Vientos and the Mets third baseman made Los Angeles pay.

Sean Manaua was steady over five innings surrendering two runs and striking out seven Dodgers batters. Edwin Diaz survived a heart attack ninth inning to hold on for a 7-3 win.

New York returns home for Game 3 for a chance to take the series lead. New York will send Luis Severino to the mound, who chose for the Mets to wear their alternate black jerseys.

Citi Field will be rocking on the 24th anniversary of the Mets clinching the 2000 NL Pennant.

Let the second guessing begin.

Carlos Mendoza opted to follow the same template from the NLDS by making Kodai Senga his Game 1 starter, this time in Los Angeles.

The move backfired as Senga; 'just didn't have it,' according to Mendoza.

Senga walked four batters and allowed two hits and three earned runs in just 1 and 1/3 innings pitched.

The Mets' skipper pulled the plug in favor of reliever Reed Garrett. David Peterson eventually entered the game, but the Dodger lead only grew.

Before the Mets knew it, they were down 6-0 with Los Angeles starter and native Jack Flaherty going seven scoreless innings.

Los Angeles tacked on three more runs on Mookie Betts' bases clearing double off Jose Butto in the eighth.

The Dodgers have now thrown 33 consecutive scoreless innings to tie an MLB record.

The Dodgers will utilize a bullpen start in Game 2 on Monday, while the Mets will throw out ace Sean Manaea looking to even the series heading back to Queens on Wednesday.

In any playoff series, in any sport, the goal for the road team is to split the first two games away from the friendly confines.

For this New York Mets squad, why stop there?

The Amazin's will be sending Kodai Senga to the mound for game one opposing Jack Flaherty. Senga is expected to pitch three innings with David Peterson taking things from there.

Flaherty has a 1-5 career postseason record, and surrendered 14 runs in 30 and 1/3 innings pitched. New York will have a slight pitching advantage with the Dodgers extremely vulnerable to lefties after Senga leaves the contest.

Should New York come out on top in the opener, it would send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill to oppose Walker Beuhler.

Beuhler is far from an ace and the Mets will have a realistic chance of taking both games in Dodgertown.

The template and the path is there for the Mets to set an early tone for the series.

But as we know with postseason baseball, momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher.

New York will have to capitalize on favorable pitching matchups to try to grab the opener and turn up the pressure on the Dodgers in Game two.

Courtesy Dugout Report

There is just something really, really special about these 2024 New York Mets.

This is not to say that following a heart-pounding 4-1 win over the hated Philadelphia Phillies, that somehow, this will propel the Mets to late October glory, but what it did do is confirm that the Mets have captured the hearts of the city, and nobody wants to see it end.

Ever.

This club plays for one another. They never give in, and they do all the fundamental things right. It's a team fully galvanized, and steeped in a true belief in the very definition of team.

From Grimace to OMG to playoff pumpkins. You name it, it's all connected. Citi Field feels like a totally different place than what it did even two years ago. It's no longer a stadium in Queens. It's now an experience. Citi Field is now the most happening night club in town, and the Mets have fully embraced it.

In a season that was supposed to be a transition year, the Mets have grabbed that bull by the horns, got hot, and have stayed fairly warm ever since.

And, now the Mets get to visit either San Diego or Las Angeles in the League Championship Series.

Check out this vlog for more on the Mets historic run to the NLCS.

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