The Mets spotted the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead before coming back to give them the beating they so richly deserved for Saturday night, with a 13-7 thrashing. New York now holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and can clinch a spot in the NLCS with a victory Tuesday night.
After giving up three runs in the top of the second, the Mets responded with a four-run frame in the bottom of the inning. It all started with Yoenis Cespedes, who beat out an infield single. Lucas Duda followed with a single and Travis d’Arnaud got his first hit of the series when he ripped an RBI single.
Curtis Granderson gave the Mets the lead with a bases-clearing double on a ball off the wall on a fly.
Cespedes and d’Arnaud did it again in the third inning, when the former singled and the latter cracked a two-run homer to left. Cespedes and d’Arnaud fueled the offense during the big August run and it’s wonderful to see them both heating up after entering Game 3 a combined 1-14. Cespedes added a second-deck homer in the fourth to make it a 10-3 game.
Matt Harvey did not have his best stuff and was lifted after five innings and 97 pitches. But he fanned seven in five innings so it wasn’t all bad.
Don Mattingly let everyone know he was still managing by calling for replay when down by seven runs and following that up by playing the infield in. Granderson foiled that strategy by blasting a two-run double.
The Mets established a franchise post-season record with 13 runs.
Harvey looked dead but managed to get out of some tight spots. At first I was very negative but after the 2nd inning he battled like crazy and I give him credit. But he looked tired, too relaxed and just plain bad. Grandy MVP!
Harvey is at his best when he pitches every 5 day.
That score was the best retaliation for the illegal and dirty Utley slide. TDA hit a rocket but the Cespedes laser was crushed more. Cespedes would make this an elite team in 2016. Lagares had a nice game and should stay in the line up tonight. TC said that he may want to back up Matz with Colon tonight. If that is the case, why did he pitch him with the score 10-3? Niese would have been able to give him innings instead and it is more probable that Niese will be the long man tonight, which loses the advantage of switching from a LHP to a RHP. Clippard was my preference over Familia. So was Robles. Goedell was supposed to finish and I actually feel sorry for him that his playoff memory was a disaster. He is not that bad. Granderson is the spark that lights the fire, all season long. Still, Mets in 4.
Yeah, Mets need to close it out tonight. I don’t want to go back to LA and have to beat Greinke under normal rest.
+1
I’ll do my best, Brian…
The Wilpons need to go the extra mile (i.e., buck) to sign Cespedes! Lagares in CF and Cespedes in LF is the best combo in the OF against LH pitchers. Conforto looks good against the RH starters. Yes, Niese should have pitched after Harvey last night! Robles would have been a good choice after Goedell blew up in the 9th, but Collins was near panic to get the win.
Harvey lacked the “eye of the tiger” last night and overall was a disappointment. Yes, he battled. But thank god for the offense. With so much riding on this game and with his storied reputation (deserved or not) for rising to the occasion, I expected a better performance. That was not the way to win people back. But still the Mets won and now we have another wonderful storyline with young Matz going up against Kershaw, who is trying to slay some post-season demons of his own. The stage is all set for a fantastic game. LGM!
I think Matz is up to the task
I wish Conforto was in the line up
I’d rather have Lagares in there against the tough LHP. Agree on Matz!
Random observations:
* Harvey looked like a guy at the end of a long season in his first year back after TJ surgery. Guts and fumes. Just need him to gut one one more start in each the NLCS and WS, then he can take a long rest.
* The stunning play of the game, for me, and the one I still can’t quite wrap my mind around, is Cespedes beating out a hard grounder to SS in the bottom of the 2nd. Just a huge play, a show of pure effort and will. I don’t know how he did it, but it started the whole thing.
* Mattingly did Mets huge favor by intentionally walking Wright in the 4th in favor of David Murphy. It was as if he hasn’t been watching the games, or a victim of the lefty/lefty matchup philosophy. Murphy, of course — and to no one’s surprise, I would hope — put up yet another tough AB and went the other way for a big RBI. Cespedes came up next and the game was basically over.
* Wright has not been swinging well, but there’s no rest for him this NLDS.
* Duda looked very bad. Have to consider giving Cuddyer the start at 1B tonight.
* Great AB by Conforto about a tough LHP.
* Goeddel probably pitched himself of the NLCS roster last night. Brutal.
* Granderson coming up huge vs. LHP. Another reminder that stats can tell us what happened, but they are much less able to predict the future. Guy. Has. Heart. Co-MVP of regular season along with Familia. Mets need him and he has delivered, consistently.
* Lagares earned another start tonight, I think.
* Flores looked smooth at SS and at the plate.
* Bartolo has been huge in the pen, and credit for TC for using him and turning him into an asset in the pen, rather than merely a long man in blow-outs.
* I liked that he brought in Familia to shut the door. At a certain point, you have to stop screwing around and end the game. I believed that using Goeddel in that spot was the right call, but after four batters, it was time to step on their neck and end this before it got crazy.
* So glad to see the real d’Arnaud stand up. A key guy against LHP; need that bat. He makes the offense so much deeper, longer, better when he’s going right.
* Kershaw on short rest is still very formidable. Matz has to deliver and the pen has to finish. The Mets will find a way to scratch out some runs. This has an Astros ’86 NLCS vibe to it, nobody wants to face Grienke in LA, just like the Mets feared Scott in Game 7. Tonight is the night to do this.
Let’s Go Mets!