Mets’ Resilience Set for Latest Test in Game 4 vs. Dodgers
The New York Mets find themselves in familiar territory, fighting from behind in a playoff series. On Thursday night, they’ll look to even the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the best-of-seven set. While the Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead, the Mets have shown time and again this season that they know how to respond when the stakes are high.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, aim to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, hoping to prevent the Mets from gaining any momentum as they did in Game 2. Los Angeles will send right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 5.63 ERA) to the mound, while the Mets will counter with left-hander Jose Quintana (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
Dodgers’ Dominance in Game 3
On Wednesday, the Dodgers made a statement with a prevailing 8-0 victory, their second shutout of the series. Enrique Hernandez, Shohei Ohtani, and Max Muncy each homered, giving critical protection runs as Los Angeles gained by New York’s offensive battles. The game stayed tight until Hernandez’s 6th inning solo shot tore open a challenge in which the two groups were looking for beat in cold, 51-degree weather.
Before Hernandez’s homer, the Dodgers had been 2-for-9 with sprinters on base, and the Mets battled considerably more, completing only 1-for-10 in comparable circumstances. Yet again ohtani’s 397-foot three-run homer in the eighth inning, trailed by Muncy’s performance shoot in the 10th, fixed the success for Los Angeles, putting the Mets on the back foot.
For the Dodgers, Wednesday’s shutout denoted one more high point in their postseason history, as both of their successes this series have been among the most lopsided postseason shutout triumphs for the franchise.
“Sometimes I think [the games] feel bigger than they are,” Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler said after Game 3. “Like if we come out and play like garbage tomorrow, we won’t care about how we played today.”
Mets’ Resilience Tested Again
The Mets’ ability to bounce back is well documented. After all, they mounted an impressive comeback in Game 2, riding a Francisco Lindor leadoff homer and a Mark Vientos grand slam to a 7-3 win. New York has been resilient all season, from recovering from an 11-game deficit below .500 to clinching a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.
The Mets also know how to perform when their backs are against the wall. In the wild-card round against the Milwaukee Brewers, they trailed by two runs with one out in the ninth inning of Game 3 before Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead three-run homer to send them through to the NLDS.
“This is nothing new,” Mets pitcher Luis Severino said after Wednesday’s loss, in which he allowed two unearned runs over 4 2/3 innings. “We need to come back tomorrow and try to win that game. If we win two out of three here, that would be huge for us.”
Quintana vs. Yamamoto
Jose Quintana will be tasked with getting the Mets back on track in Game 4. Quintana hasn’t pitched since Oct. 9, when he threw five-plus innings of one-run ball in the Mets’ NL Division Series-clinching victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Quintana, who is 0-1 with a 2.43 ERA in seven career postseason games (six starts), will need to be sharp against a Dodgers lineup that has shown flashes of power throughout the series.
In the standard season, Quintana went 3-2 with a 2.04 Period in 13 games (10 beginnings) against Los Angeles, despite the fact that he battled in the postseason against the Dodgers while contributing for the Chicago Cubs 2017, posting a 10.29 Time in two beginnings.
In the mean time, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will hope to expand on his strong execution in the NLDS, where he held the San Diego Padres scoreless more than five innings in Game 5 to assist the Dodgers with progressing. Notwithstanding that presentation, Yamamoto has had a conflicting postseason, as proven by the five runs he permitted in his initial beginning of the end of the season games against the Padres.
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“They have a very good lineup, and it’s a welcome challenge,” Quintana said of the Dodgers. “Respect these guys, and it’ll be a fun task.”
Yamamoto, in his first full MLB season, has had some success against the Mets. In his lone start against New York this year, he allowed four runs (three earned) over six innings in an April 19 contest that Los Angeles lost 9-4.
What’s at Stake
For the Dodgers, a dominate in Match 4 would put them near the very edge of their subsequent National League flag in the last four seasons. Yet, for the Mets, a success would take the series back to even, giving them restored any expectation of arriving at the World Series interestingly beginning around 2015.
The two groups are completely mindful of the size of Thursday’s game, and neither one of the sides is looking excessively far ahead. For the Mets, another rebound is fundamental on the off chance that they desire to keep their World Series dreams alive.