The Mets are in the Way

The Mets are the surprise team of 2024 in the NL. They were picked by most writers and bloggers (including me) to finish near the bottom of the league. They ended up winning 89 games and making the playoffs, and they knocked the Milwaukee Brewers out of the playoffs. They are a force to be reckoned with and are the Cinderella Story of MLB (so far) this year. Offensively, they are led by Francisco Linjdor (33 HR/.844 OPS), who may not be 100% healthy, Mark Vientos (27 HR/.838 OPS), Jose Iglesias (.829 OPS), Pete Alonzo (34 HR, .788 OPS, and JD Martinez (16 HR/.726 OPS). Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte are both low .700 OPS guys, and Jesse Winker is opportunistic but not a high OPS guy. Jeff McNeil is rehabbing in the AFL and may be activated for the NLCS.

The Mets finished 9th in MLB in OPS (Dodgers were #1) and were 7th in Runs Scored (Dodgers were #2). So, offensively, you can’t take them lightly. Pitching-wise, they were 15th in Team ERA, while the Dodgers were 13th. The biggest difference is the bullpen, where the Dodgers were #4 in MLB in Bullpen ERA while the Mets were #17. The Dodgers starting pitching is thin, and the Mets have quantity over quality. Kodai Sengastarts against Jack Flaherty in game 1. Senga is their Ace and went 13-7 with a 2.00 ERA in his rookie season (2023), but due to injury, he only appeared in 1 game this season and went 5.1 innings. He pitched a total of two innings in the playoffs.

Sean Manaea (whom the Dodgers used to own), Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana round out the rotation. The Mets have no clue what they will get out of Senga, and the rest of the rotation would be considered #4 and #5 starters. It is said that they have four average to solid starters… and they need them because their bullpen is not good. Still, they are here. I think Game One will set the tone, and Jack Flaherty needs to pitch the game of his life. He is rested and capable. He just needs to stay away from the HR ball.

Remember Edwin Diaz? He had an 8.10 ERA in the playoffs! It was 3.52 in the regular season, as he had 20 saves in 27 opportunities. The Mets had 39 saves in 64 opportunities, while the Dodgers were 50 for 79.

MLB has a position-by-position analysis HERE for what that is worth.

It looks like the Dodgers will be without Alex Vesia as he has pain in his intercostal (rib) area. The Mets are a mostly RH lineup, so this is not as big of a blow as it might be against a team with a lot of big LH hitters. I think Honeywell will be on the roster. Honeywell does have a finger issue, so Henriquez and/or Casparius are also in play.

The Dodgers need Freddie and Will to step up, and pitching will be paramount (not just for the relievers). Don’t count out Walker Buehler just yet. Houston Mitchel’s Newsletter:

Houston Mitchell – Dodger’s Dugout

“All those who doubted Yoshinobu Yamamoto are eating humble pie right now. Including yours truly.

Some players are just built for the postseason. Kiké Hernández is one of those players.

His regular-season career numbers: .238/.398/.405.
His postseason career numbers: .277/.351/.548. He averages a homer every 28.35 at-bats during the season and a homer every 13.43 at-bats in the postseason. Barry Bonds averaged a homer every 16.78 at-bats in the postseason. Willie Mays every 11.7 at-bats. Hank Aaron every 11.5. Reggie Jackson every 15.11. Hernández has 14 postseason homers, tied for 20th on the all-time list, which is somewhat misleading because there are so many rounds of the postseason now. Mickey Mantle, for example, hit 18 postseason homers, but all in the World Series.

As for that postgame interview with Ken Rosenthal, I’m pretty sure Hernández can’t use that word on TV. A handful of people wrote me afterward very disappointed, saying that the Dodgers must be furious with him. I’m guessing the Dodgers aren’t furious at all. In fact, they have him just for that kind of attitude. And while I believe much of society uses curse words as a lazy language crutch, there are moments where a well-timed one is perfect. That was one of those times. I’m sure Fox wasn’t thrilled, but, hey, live TV. I did notice they were quick on the censor button while showing the locker room celebration.

If you missed it, you can watch it here.

And yes, there were kids watching. But, be a parent and explain to your kids that you shouldn’t use that language. Trust me, unless they are little kids, they hear curse words at school a lot.

And then the other Hernández, Teoscar, gives a much-needed insurance run with a dramatic home run. It was sort of overlooked when he signed for one year and $23.5 million in the offseason, but he has earned every penny, with a career season, followed by a postseason where he has hit .333 with two homers and a team-leading seven RBIs.

The question I get asked frequently is, will the Dodgers re-sign him? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and just enjoy what he is doing right now. There’s plenty of time to discuss that in the offseason.

—Here’s another reason fans don’t need to throw things on the field. The baseball gods are always watching. They saw Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. taunting Dodger fans, sometimes with some vulgar movements. They saw Manny Machado leave the base path (legal or not). And the Padres did not score after that third inning. Machado was the final nail in that coffin.

—Or, as Yogi Berra said, “Nobody likes Manny Machado.”

—Of course, after the game, Profar refused to give the Dodgers any credit, saying, “We don’t want to give credit either, you know, to their pitching. We just didn’t come through.” Stay classy, Jurickson. The reason you didn’t come through was because of the pitching.

—This is in contrast to the Dodgers, many of whom said afterward that the Padres are a great team.

—The Dodger Stadium crowd was as loud as I have ever heard it. Keep that same energy for the rest of the postseason.

—The Dodgers did all of this without an amazing series by Shohei Ohtani. That home run he hit in the first game seemed to give them all the charge they needed.

—Now Petco Park can go back to what it is usually used for in October: one of those ubiquitous, popup, Spirit Halloween stores. If you are looking for a Profar costume, you will find it labeled under “clown.”

—And it’s time to praise Dave Roberts. I know (according to our polls run twice a year) about 20% of you hate him. But you’re wrong. He was masterful in the NLDS, calling on the right pitcher at the right time. pulling pitchers at the right time. Everything worked. It’s so easy to manage the game from your sofa. But dealing with 26 personalities, keeping everyone happy no matter how much they play, winning 95+ games every year and making the postseason every year? Impressive. “Yeah, but with that payroll, I could manage the team and win 90 games.” No, you couldn’t. You wouldn’t even finish above .500. He’s not going to be fired. He’s going to be here for a while. As Ric Flair would say, “You don’t have to like it, but learn to love it.” Every manager has flaws, Roberts has no exception. I’ve pointed them out before. But too many times people focus on only the flaws and not the positives. You’d visit the Sistine Chapel and say, “Yeah, but looks at the cracks around the edges.” Give him his credit. He’s a large part of their success this season.

—That was the most satisfying Dodger victory in four years. But, now they have to do it all over again. Buy some more Tums. Recharge the defibrillator. Get those asthma inhalers refilled. The Mets will not be pushovers.

THANK YOU!

By the way, Thanks for all the kind words yesterday. I was busy with one of my granddaughters birthday/Halloween Party yesterday and then my wife and I took a ride in the hills of Indiana last evening in the Dark Horse. It was a great day, but I never looked at the blog until this morning.

.@THEREAL_DV spoke with Kiké Hernández about the #Dodgers advancing to the NLCS. pic.twitter.com/tfdfVyrjXI

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) October 12, 2024