Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 16th 2024
Preview and Prediction
NEW YORK The New York Mets have been the most resilient team in Major League Baseball, constantly fighting back from difficult situations. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a tough time during the regular season despite their impressive 98 wins.
It's no surprise that the National League Championship Series is currently tied at one game apiece.
The Mets and Dodgers will battle for the series lead on Wednesday night as New York hosts Los Angeles for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.
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Starting on the mound for the Mets will be Luis Severino (1-0, 4.50 ERA in the playoffs), while the Dodgers will counter with right-hander Walker Buehler (0-1, 10.80).
In Game 2, the Mets were able to even the series with a 7-3 victory thanks to a grand slam from Mark Vientos in the second inning.
Although Vientos' grand slam was the deciding factor, Francisco Lindor set the tone for the Mets with a leadoff homer in the first inning against opener Ryan Brasier.
This homer was just another example of the Mets' resilience, as they were 11 games below .500 in early June, barely clinched a playoff spot on September 30th, and were close to being eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL wild-card series on October 3rd before a go-ahead three-run homer from Pete Alonso saved them.
In Game 2 of the NL Division Series on October 6th, the Mets lost 7-6 to the Philadelphia Phillies after squandering two leads. However, they were able to bounce back and eliminate their rivals in the next two games. The Mets then started the NLCS with a 9-0 loss on Sunday night, which was their worst postseason defeat in franchise history.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Tuesday, "We've been through this all year. We've been knocked down, but we always find a way to get back up. This series is going to be exciting, with two great teams going back and forth."
Lindor's homer ended a remarkable streak for the Dodgers, who had scored 23 consecutive runs and pitched 33 scoreless innings since the third inning of Game 3 against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.
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This defeat also highlighted the Dodgers' fragile pitching staff and the difficulties of creating a rotation for a long series. Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow, the only starters to throw more than 100 innings for Los Angeles this season, are both out for the season due to injuries, as is three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. The only Dodgers starter to last more than six innings since September 1st is Jack Flaherty, who threw 7 1/3 innings on September 8th against Cleveland before pitching seven scoreless innings on Sunday.
Following Brasier on Monday were four relievers who were not in high-pressure situations, including Brent Honeywell Jr., who pitched three innings in his first major league appearance since September 24th.
Buehler said on Tuesday, "Jack really set the tone in Game 1 and showed us how it's done. In Game 2, we had to piece it together."
Both teams are expecting their injured third-place hitters to play in Game 3. The Mets' Brandon Nimmo is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, while the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman has a sprained right ankle that caused him to miss Game 4 of the NLDS.
Severino last pitched on October 6th, when he gave up three runs in six innings in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies. He has a 2-4 record with a 5.01 ERA in 13 postseason games (12 starts).
Buehler took the loss in his first postseason appearance of 2024 on October 8th, giving up six runs in five innings as the Dodgers lost 6-5 to the Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS. He has a 3-4 record with a 3.40 ERA in 16 career postseason starts.
Severino has a 0-1 record with a 10.50 ERA in two career games (one start) against the Dodgers. Buehler has a 1-1 record with a 5.00 ERA in five starts against the Mets.
Jerry Beach,
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets Recap MAY 29TH 2024
Mookie Betts delivered the tiebreaking RBI single leading off the 10th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers overcame a late two-run deficit to defeat the New York Mets 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.
Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer with one out to provide insurance for the Dodgers, who avoided their first six-game losing streak since 2019. Freeman began the comeback with a run-scoring single in the eighth for Los Angeles, which forced extra innings on Chris Taylor's RBI safety squeeze in the ninth.
Daniel Hudson (2-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. Blake Treinen recorded his first save with a 1-2-3 10th.
Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez went 3-for-5 for the Dodgers while Betts added two hits.
Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer for the Mets, who have lost six of seven to fall to 7-17 this month. Pete Alonso had two of New York's four hits.
Starters Tyler Glasnow and Tylor Megill both pitched well in no-decisions. The Dodgers' Glasnow allowed just two hits -- both in the third inning -- and walked four while striking out eight over seven innings. Megill gave up three hits and walked one while striking out nine in seven scoreless innings.
Glasnow struck out four batters in the first two innings before the Mets scored in the third. Brett Baty worked a leadoff walk and was forced on a bunt by Tomas Nido before Lindor homered to right. Alonso followed with a single and Brandon Nimmo drew his second walk of the game before Glasnow got J.D. Martinez to hit into a double play.
Megill retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced before the Dodgers began rallying in the eighth. Reed Garrett got the first two outs before Jake Diekman gave up Freeman's two-out, run-scoring single.
Hernandez and Gavin Lux led off the ninth with singles against Adam Ottavino before Hernandez scored when Ottavino couldn't cleanly field Taylor's bunt.