New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 14th 2024
Preview and Prediction
LOS ANGELES The Dodgers will provide their bullpen with an opportunity to establish a postseason record in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the visiting New York Mets on Monday afternoon.
On a 33-inning scoreless streak to match a postseason record initially set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, the Dodgers will now entrust the ball to a group that manager Dave Roberts hailed as his MVP of the NL Division Series.
With only two relievers required to support starter Jack Flaherty in a 9-0 triumph over the Mets in Game 1 on Sunday, Roberts will authorize his bullpen to handle every out of Game 2, with Ryan Brasier as the starter.
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Brasier started Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout. In three appearances in this postseason, Brasier has a record of 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 3 2/3 innings. Throughout his career against the Mets, he has a record of 1-0 with a 6.14 ERA in eight appearances.
In Game 4 of the NLDS, eight Dodgers relievers combined for a shutout against the San Diego Padres, when Los Angeles' season was on the line.
"I am confident about that," Roberts stated. "Jack being able to (pitch seven innings) opens up a lot of options and also spares some appearances from some of our guys in the bullpen against some of their guys."
Right-handers Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius were the only bullpen arms utilized in Game 1.
"I am the one calling the pitches, but it is all those guys executing what we have decided," Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. "So, we are just trying to keep it going tomorrow."
The Dodgers were not solely reliant on their pitching in Game 1. They also tallied nine hits with seven walks and secured the victory without the assistance of a home run.
Shohei Ohtani recorded two hits and reached base three times while scoring two runs. Mookie Betts added a three-run double and Freddie Freeman had two hits with an RBI and a run scored on a troublesome ankle that caused him to miss one NLDS game and depart early in another.
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The Mets are prepared to send left-hander Sean Manaea to the mound in Game 2. In Game 3 of the NLDS, he limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one run on three hits over seven innings.
Manaea had a record of 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 regular-season starts. He faced the Dodgers on the road on April 19 and surrendered two runs on four hits over five innings to secure the win. This is Manaea's only victory over the Dodgers in 11 career appearances (eight starts), with a 7.09 ERA.
However, Manaea was a different pitcher six months ago. His release point has altered and he has refined his changeup.
"Overall, I am a little more confident in myself and my stuff," Manaea stated regarding the time between mid-April and now. "But at the end of the day, I just have to go out there and attack hitters."
After a hectic end to the regular season that immediately transitioned into the postseason, the Mets have been on a whirlwind schedule. However, they had three days off before the start of the NLCS and appeared out of sync in all aspects of their game in the series opener. New York's Jesse Winker refused to attribute the downtime to a disappointing Game 1.
"I just think we faced a really good pitcher who performed well and a strong lineup that scored," Winker said. "I just think tonight they had a great night and tomorrow we will come back and move forward."
The Mets lost the opening game for the first time in three series this postseason and are on a five-game losing streak against the Dodgers dating back to the regular season.
Doug Padilla,
New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Recap OCT 14TH 2024
LOS ANGELES -- The pitching staff was too depleted to make a difference and the infield too hobbled to make a significant mark.
And yet the Los Angeles Dodgers navigated their way to the World Series behind seven relief pitchers and a four-RBI night from shortstop Tommy Edman to earn a 10-5 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.
Edman and Will Smith each hit two-run home runs as the Dodgers earned a matchup with the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic, which begins on Friday in Los Angeles. It will be the Dodgers' fourth World Series appearance in the past eight seasons.
"I think the whole world was looking forward to, or hoping for this potential matchup, this showdown," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It's going to be great. (The Yankees) are a very talented team. But I think for us, it's kind of one game at a time, appreciating the fact that we've still got four wins to take care of business."
The Dodgers and Yankees are headed toward their 12th Fall Classic matchup and the first since 1981. New York has won eight of the previous 11 meetings with a title on the line.
In a bullpen game Sunday, which was required because of so many injuries to the starting staff, Dodgers pitchers gave up 11 hits and struck out nine. Ben Casparius (1-0) went 1 1/3 innings to earn the win, and Blake Treinen pitched the final two innings for his third save of the playoffs.
Casparius didn't make his major league debut until Aug. 31 and has pitched in three postseason games after pitching in just three regular-season games.
"I wouldn't say we planned for injuries but we planned to have multiple guys contribute throughout the year," said Dodgers right-hander Evan Phillips, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning. "I think you saw that at points during the season when guys went down with injuries and guys stepped up in a big way."
Edman, who arrived from the St. Louis Cardinals in a July 29 trade, had 11 RBIs in six games against the Mets to tie Corey Seager's franchise record for RBIs in a single NLCS, a mark set in 2020.
Edman was at shortstop because of a groin injury to Miguel Rojas. Freddie Freeman did not start in two NLCS games due to a sprained right ankle, forcing Edman to bat in the cleanup spot in two of the past three games.
"I don't know if the spot in the lineup necessarily means that much to me," Edman said. "But, I mean, I didn't really know what my role was when I got traded here. The postseason, moving around a little bit, I feel like I've just done a good job of adjusting to whatever is required of me in any given situation."
Mark Vientos hit a two-run home run for the Mets, while Sean Manaea (2-1) gave up five runs on six hits over two-plus innings. The Mets fell two victories short of a Subway Series after securing a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season and getting past the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs.
"Obviously it stinks because you want to keep going," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "But I just told the guys how proud I was because we not only became a really good team, we became a family. And now we raised the bar. This is what we should strive for every year, to be playing deep into October. And we showed that this year."
The Mets had an early 1-0 lead after Pete Alonso hit a blooper over the mound for a run-scoring infield single in the first inning.
The Dodgers responded in their half of the first when Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez singled before Edman doubled them home for a 2-1 lead.
Los Angeles made it 6-1 in the third inning when Edman hit a two-run home run off Manaea and Smith hit a two-run shot off Phil Maton.
The Mets got within 6-3 in the fourth inning when Vientos greeted right-hander Ryan Brasier with a two-run home run for his fifth long ball of the postseason.
Los Angeles added a run in the sixth inning on Ohtani's RBI bloop single to center field. The Mets got the run back on a sacrifice fly from Francisco Alvarez. The Dodgers poured it on in the eighth inning with an RBI double from Mookie Betts, a sacrifice fly from Hernandez and an RBI single from Enrique Hernandez.
Jeff McNeil had a run-scoring single in the ninth inning for the Mets.
New York had its chances but left the bases loaded in the third inning, when McNeil struck out, and in the sixth, when Jesse Winker hit a flyout to left. The visitors left 13 runners on base in the game and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
"We understand we've got a lot of work to do, but I think we took a really good step forward to move in that direction," Mendoza said.
--Doug Padilla,