The Mets fell behind early and lost 9-0 to the Dodgers on Sunday night in Game 1 of the NLDS in Los Angeles.
The Mets trailed 3-0 after two innings and 6-0 after four, and never made a game of this one.
Here are the takeaways…
-The Kodai Senga gamble failed badly.
Making his second start of the postseason, but just his third start overall this season, most recently coming back from a calf strain, Senga gave up three runs while lasting only 1.1 innings.
He walked the bases loaded in the first inning, then gave up a two-out, line-drive single to center to Max Muncy that scored two runs.
In the second inning, Senga walked Gavin Lux leading off, and after a sacrifice bunt, Shohei Ohtani bounced a single through the infield into right field to score Lux and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
Just like that, Senga was gone, throwing only 30 pitches — one fewer than he threw in his start a week ago in Philadelphia.
The Mets could have started their ace, Sean Manaea, on full rest in this Game 1, or Luis Severino on two days extra rest since his last start. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday they thought extra rest would benefit some of their starters, without being specific.
–Jack Flaherty dominated the Mets over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six hitters.
He’s the first Dodgers’ starter to go more than six innings in a postseason game since Max Scherzer in 2021.
The LA bullpen added two more scoreless innings, which means the Dodgers have put together a streak of 33 consecutive scoreless innings, going back to their last three games of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres.
The Mets finished the night with only three hits.
-The top five hitters in their lineup, Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte, went a combined 0-for-16.
-The Dodgers’ big three of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman combined to go 5-for-11 with four runs scored and five RBI.
Ohtani was 2-for-4 plus a walk with two runs scored and an RBI.
–Jesse Winker got the Mets’ first hit, a leadoff single in the top of the fifth, but then he quickly ran them out of a potential rally with some horrendous baserunning.
When Jose Iglesias followed with a single to left-center, Winker started to try to go first to third, but then stopped halfway, thinking he was going to get thrown out by center fielder Kiké Hernandez.
However, Hernandez saw him stop and threw behind him, to second base, and Winker was caught in no man’s land and tagged out. It was just a huge mistake with the Mets down 6-0 at the time.
-The Mets used David Peterson in relief of Reed Garrett with two outs in the third inning, hoping to keep the game close at 3-0 but the lefty wasn’t sharp and wound up giving up three runs (two earned) in 2.1 innings of work.
In doing so Peterson threw 40 pitches on three days rest, which creates questions about how the Mets will use him the rest of the series.
He loomed in this series as a potential X-factor to bolster a bullpen that was overworked and, to some degree, ineffective in this postseason.
But as a starter, he needs significant rest between appearances, and he may now also be in play as a potential Game 5 starter, depending on what the Mets decide to do with Senga now.
Game MVP: Jack Flaherty
The right-hander was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers (after the Yankees reportedly backed out of a deal due to concerns about Flaherty’s back) and he filled a big hole in the Dodgers’ injury-decimated starting rotation.
He had mixed postseason results in the past with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Dodgers, with a 4.15 ERA, but he was on his game Sunday night.
What’s next
The Mets and Dodgers play Game 2 of this best-of-seven series on Monday with first pitch scheduled for 4:08 p.m.
LHP Sean Manaea (1-0, 2.25 ERA) will look to give New York some length while Los Angeles has yet to announce a starter, although it appears it will be a bullpen game.
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