Reese Kaplan -- It Was Great While It Lasted...

I'd written a piece with uncertainty if the Mets could somehow force a Game 7 but what happens when you are half a world away in a 12-hour different time zone you can't always be right on the button.  As a result, my apologies upfront for this piece below which is now, of course, no longer applicable after Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga and company coughed up a 10-5 route to the World Series for the Dodgers.  

Still, no one expected the Mets to have a winning season nor to make the playoffs, nor to beat Milwaukee nor to triumph over the NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies.  Once the disappointment starts to wane a bit, you have to hand it to the front office, the manager and the players.  It was way more than any of us expected and the Mets have no reason to whimper nor hide their faces.  It was a GREAT 2024 season and the surge towards the World Series reenergized baseball molecules in the bloodstreams of Mets fans everywhere.

Thank you!

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Blame it on Pete Alonso if you have “California Dreaming,” “I Love L.A.” or some other old anthem extolling the virtues of the southern part of The Golden State.  

Everyone felt it in their bones that the team had enough deep in reserve to make the Dodgers have to win at least one of the potentially two games remaining.  For the Mets it’s a moral victory to force the cross country trip one more time, but it will take a Dodger Stadium duality in the victory column to keep the Mets’ October dream alive.  With Sean Manaea slated to go in Game 6 it’s as good a chance as the club will likely have to reach a winner-take-all Game 7.

Right now it’s a guessing game as to Game 7 if indeed the Mets can manage to force one into happening.  Carlos Mendoza has endured the unproven arms of Kodai Senga twice in this October.  In one case he did well albeit quite briefly.  

The other time was not something impressive which is more a matter of the lack of live innings on the man’s arms than it was a question about his pitching ability.  While it would have been a great October surprise (if you forgive the election mantra), the fact is that innings worked against live batters every 5th day suggest that making a space for him was not necessarily the best decision that could be made. 

If it comes down to that win or go home part of the schedule then the team needs to decide who is most well suited for that assignment.  The Dodgers do those bullpen games out of necessity.  The Mets could go in that direction with perhaps 2-3 innings from Senga then a merry-go-round of other relievers to handle the next 6-7 innings.  It could work but it would also torch the bullpen for what could follow in the Bronx if somehow the Mets pulled it off. 

In the 8-0 blowout win in Game 3 the starting pitcher was Luis Severino.  No, he didn’t give up 8 earned runs.  In fact, he was roughed up to the tune of zero, though 2 unearned runs did cross the plate against him over his 4.1 innings pitched.  That was followed by 2 earned runs from reliever Reed Garrett and then 4 earned runs against starter-turned-reliever Tylor Megill. 

Given the need for longevity and the ability to face hitters every 5th day it would seem that playing Severino on his regular rest might make more sense than rolling the dice to see what Senga might do makes more sense.  He pitched Wednesday, so that would mean Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday will have come to pass giving the ex Yankee his regular turn in the rotation.  It seems like the logical choice to make. 

Of course, the Mets need to win Game 6 before worrying about Game 7.  All speculation in regard to the starting pitcher for the game on October 21st is hinged directly to the start made by Sean Manaea on the game of the 20th. 

If indeed the Mets make it to Game 7 then they have to rethink the roster for the games that might follow.  It could be that they want to see the more proven albeit unused Adam Ottavino in a World Series than the unproven and untested Kodai Senga.  However, they didn’t proceed in that direction this time around so it’s anybody’s guess.