LOS ANGELES — When Carlos Mendoza made his rounds at Citi Field to talk to his players before Game 5 of the NLCS, he encountered a very confident group. The Mets were focused, but measured. They approached their prep work and advance meetings with the same attitude they had maintained for the last two months. The goal was to go out, execute the game plan and have fun doing it.
The Mets skipper encountered the same atmosphere in the visitor’s clubhouse at Dodger Stadium on Sunday ahead of Game 6.
“Same thing,” Mendoza said ahead of yet another elimination game. “Same feeling, the same vibes, whatever you want to call it. I see guys that are relaxed, but they understand where we are.”
Why wouldn’t they? They’ve only been playing in games that feel as though there is a chance for elimination for the last two months. The Mets fell out of the playoff standings in August and then went on the road for the final regular season trip faced with the uncertainty of the standings, of a hurricane and without even knowing whether their best player would be in the lineup.
In the end, they went from Atlanta to Milwaukee, back to Atlanta for a doubleheader to clinch a playoff spot the day after the official end of the regular season, back to Milwaukee for the Wild Card, and then to Philadelphia to face their division rivals in the NLDS. The Mets have played more postseason games on the road than they have at home, they’ve faced challenging logistics and in-game deficits.
At this point, nothing scares them, not even the Dodgers’ 3-2 series lead.
The storybook postseason could come to an end Sunday night at Chavez Ravine, but every time it’s looked like the end for the Mets, they’ve managed to extend their season.
“We’ve been in this situation for a long time,” Mendoza said. “We played an elimination game against the Brewers. The doubleheader felt like an elimination game, you know, every game against the Phillies. So here we are.”
The Mets are expecting the Dodgers to throw all of their high-leverage arms in a bullpen game. They’ve seen most of them already and know what to expect, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
The challenge in Game 6 is navigating 27 outs with a thin bullpen and a lineup that has scored 36 runs against the Mets over five games. The Dodgers have knocked out every starting pitcher early throughout this series and while the Mets are confident that left-hander Sean Manaea can give them quality innings, Mendoza will not hesitate to pull him if he starts missing his spots.
Right-hander Kodai Senga is available out of the bullpen for about 30-40 pitches, possibly more. But after combining to get 13 outs in Game 5, Ryne Stanek and closer Edwin Diaz aren’t going to be available for long outings. Right-hander Reed Garrett would be short as well.
The Mets are carrying an extra position player instead of an extra pitcher, which Mendoza says he doesn’t regret, but it does make piecing together the pitching puzzle more of a challenge. The circle of trust is small with Tylor Megill and Jose Butto having struggled. Phil Maton, a once-trusted high-leverage right-hander, has been shaky in the postseason as well.
“The way he’s missing — if he’s missing — when he loses a strike zone, where are those misses? You know, are they close? Are they all out of the hand?” Mendoza said. “You see it for two, three pitches in a row, and then for a couple of hitters kind of like what we saw here [in Game 2]. That’s a sign that, OK, he’s, he’s getting there.”
Diaz is ready for the bullpen phone to ring at any time.
“Whenever they need me,” he said. “I did a lot of recovery yesterday. We are facing an elimination game again today. So whenever Mendy needs me, I’ll be ready to go. And I’ll do it until they take the ball out of my hand.”
The stakes are higher than ever but it’s like any other game the Mets have played since about the middle of August.
SEVERINO’S STATUS
The Mets could save right-hander Luis Severino for Game 7, but first they have to get there, which could mean using him in Game 6. No decisions have been made yet. Left-hander Jose Quintana is unlikely to be available out of the bullpen for Game 6, but possibly for Game 7.
