Wednesday, October 16, 2024 • 8:08 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Walker Buhler (1-6, 5.38) vs. RHP Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91)
FS1

It’s a brand new NLCS, all tied to one game apiece. Francisco Lindor ended the Dodgers’ 33-inning postseason scoreless streak with a leadoff home run on Monday. The Dodgers responded by intentionally walking Lindor in his next at bat Mark Vientos with the bases loaded. Vientos made them pay for that mistake with a grand slam, and the Mets held on for a 7-3 victory.

Citi Field will now host its first NLCS game since 2015. Mets fans are ready to welcome the Mets home. It’s now a five-game series, with the Mets having home field advantage!

Luis Severino. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Mark Vientos – 3B
3. Brandon Nimmo – L.F
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Starling Marte – RF
6. JD Martinez – DH
7. Jose Iglesias – 2B
8. Tyrone Taylor – RF
9. Francisco Alvarez -C

Luis Severino made 31 starts in the regular season and threw 182 innings with a 3.91 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.242 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. He was solid in the postseason in his two starts, allowing exactly three earned runs in six innings. Both of his starts in the postseason have been on the road, tonight is his first home start. In 97 1/3 regular season innings at home, he had an ERA of 2.96 (compared to a road ERA of 5.00 over 84 2/3 innings). The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Mookie Betts 11-34, 4 2B, HR, 6 BB, 7 K
• Tommy Edman 1-2
• Freddie Vrijman 0-5, BB
• Enrique Kiké Hernández 1-7, 2B, 2 K
• Teoscar Hernández 2-11, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Kevin Kiermaier 3-28, 2 BB, 13 K
• Max Muncy 1-2, HR, K
• Shohei Ohtani 3-6, 2B, HR, 2BB, K
• Will Smith 1-3

Opposite arrangement

1. Shohei Ohtani – DH
2. Mookie Betts – RF
3. Freddie Freeman – 1B
4. Max Muncy – 3B
5. Teoscar Hernández – L.F
6. Gavin Lux – 2B
7. Will Smith – C
8. Tommy Edman – SS
9. Kiké Hernández – CF

Walker Buehler is coming off his third straight injury-shortened season. Buehler pitched about a third of the 2022 season before doing so Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2023 and about two months of 2024 recovering from a hip injury. Over 16 starts, 75 1/3 innings in 2024, he has a 5.38 ERA, 5.54 FIP, 1.553 WHIP and a 72 ERA+. He started to get things together in September when he had a 4.44 ERA over 26 1/3 innings. He’s off to a rough start against the Padres in the NLDS, allowing six runs in five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Buehler:

• Pete Alonso 5-14, 4 hours, K
• Harrison Bader 1-6, BB, K
• José Iglesias 4-10, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-2, HR
• Starling Marte 2-6, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• JD Martinez 0-3, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-9, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-10, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, 2B
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K
• Jesse Winker 4-15, 2 hours, 2 km

Game notes

Three things to pay attention to

1. Mark Vientos. Vientos played his first tough game of the postseason on Sunday and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He responded with another two-hit game on Monday, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam. He has multiple hits in six of the nine postseason games he has played in with three home runs and 11 RBIs and is hitting .378/.410/.676. He won’t be doubted for the rest of this series.
2. Lindor’s strength is back. This postseason, Lindor has hit three doubles and two home runs. Four of those five extra-base hits came in his last four games, including a game in which he went 0-for-3 with a walk (NLCS game one). The Mets are 4-0 when Lindor has an extra base hit (2-3 and when he doesn’t).
3. Pete Alonso. Alonso has had a quiet start to the NLCS, going 1-for-7 with two walks (and a stolen base, whaaat?). From the end of the wild card round until the third game of the NLDS, Alonso had three home runs over four games (including the biggest home run of his life). He had five hits against Walker Buehler in his lifetime, and four of them were home runs. Tonight would be a good time for the polar bear to show some strength.

Let’s go Mets!