LOS ANGELES – It was no coincidence that the New York Mets reached the NLCS.

Throughout New York’s run in the postseason thus far, they have made responding to adversity part of their team DNA. Whether it was Pete Alonso’s go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the wild-card round against Milwaukee or dropping Game 2 against the Phillies in the NLDS after coming back in exciting fashion, the Mets have experienced the emotional highs and lows of a deep postseason run leading them off.

So after being blown out by the Dodgers in Game 1 of this series, there was no reason to think the Mets wouldn’t respond.

“It was a big game today, especially after the way we played last night,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team’s 7-3 victory in Game 2. “We’ve done that all year. We get a slap in the face and we keep looking for ways to get back up. And it will remain that way.”

The Mets have been led all year by Francisco Lindor, who has not only put together his best season since joining the Mets, but has also been the team’s vocal leader during their rise to being the best team in baseball since June 1. And so it was fitting for the player who has been the Mets’ spark plug all year to be the one who gets New York on the right track on Monday.

The Mets shortstop battled Dodgers opener Ryan Brasier in the opening half of the game, and after going 2-1, Lindor fouled on four straight Brasier offers. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Lindor got exactly what he wanted, crushing an 90-mph cutter 350 feet deep into the Mets’ bullpen to give New York the lead before the Dodger Stadium crowd could settle.

Lindor’s solo homer got the Mets feeling good early and started the Dodgers’ scheduled bullpen game on a rocky note.

“It’s all great when it’s working well and the guys are throwing outs, but you’re still dealing with really good ball clubs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his game plan. “And there’s a margin that you have to watch out for and really appreciate the cost of the next few games, not to mention that this isn’t a winner-takes-all game. It’s not a three-game series.”

But the biggest swing of the day for the Mets came from Mark Vientos. The Mets’ third baseman — who is in the midst of a breakout season, with career highs in every offensive category — has become a driving force for New York’s lineup. In the second inning, New York continued to apply pressure against LA’s second pitcher of the evening, Landon Knack. The Mets had runners on second and third base with two outs and one run already in when they reversed the lineup to return to Lindor.

After seeing him locked up, the Dodgers decided to intentionally walk Lindor and bring Vientos to the plate with a chance to do something big.

Vientos, like Lindor in the first, did not concede even after falling in the count of 1-2. He worked his way back to 3-2, made a mistake on another pitch and then found one he could drive. Vientos hit a fastball into the right-center stands for a grand slam, giving the Mets a 6-0 lead.

“I took it personally,” Vientos said of the intentional walk before his shot. “I definitely want to be there during that at bat. I want them to let Lindor out in that situation and put me up there.

“I had Francisco in front of me and he hit a home run, so they’d rather take a chance on me than him. But I use it as motivation. I’m like, ‘Do you want me to be awake? I’m going to show you. Whatever.'”

Vientos now owns a .378/.410/.676 slash line with three home runs this postseason and leads the Mets in nearly every offensive category. Even as one of the youngest guys on the Mets roster, he knows any moment in October can be big.

“I’ve been a sponge for all these guys,” Vientos said. “I’m surrounded by a lot of great players. I’m very lucky. I ask a lot of questions, especially in times like these, because I haven’t been to the postseason. I ask them, “Hey, how do I approach this?”

“JD (Martinez) won a World Series, and he gets the guys together, and he tells us to keep our emotions even, especially when the opponent is going up and we’re going down, or vice versa. Because the team that can hold their emotions like that are the ones that come out on top.”

Unlike Game 1, New York’s lineup found a way to get comfortable in Game 2 by banging in at-bats. Lindor, Vientos and an 11-pitch at-bat from Alonso showed that even with a slew of different arms coming out of the Dodgers’ bullpen, the Mets have a durable approach that could continue the rest of the series — especially if LA has also done. to deal with another bullpen game, which the Dodgers will likely do.

“There are a lot of different ways we can create and attack,” Mendoza said. “Whether it’s not just hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but also taking a walk, putting the ball in play, going the other way when we just need to make things happen.

“That makes this line-up a deep line-up. When you’re facing bullpen day, I think it’s hard to make a game plan. But you have to go out there, make adjustments and take what the game gives you. Whether it’s putting the ball in play, moving a player, bringing a player in, those are the little things you have to do to win games in the play-offs.”

After splitting the first two games in LA, the Mets are feeling good, as they should. New York will have both Luis Severino and José Quintana ready for Games 3 and 4 before deciding whether Kodai Senga will get another start after his struggles in Game 1. The Mets now have a clear advantage, with three straight games in front of their home crowd and the depth of their starting pitching.

“I feel great,” closer Edwin Díaz, who got a four-out save, said after the game. “Getting a W here in LA, going back home to play three more games there – we have a chance to play the series there at home. So I feel really good. We are really happy.”