LOS ANGELES (AP) — The New York Mets weren’t sure what they were going to get with the Los Angeles Dodgers sending out a parade of relievers in a bullpen game.
They found out right away.
Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos homered as the Mets stopped the Dodgers’ record-tying postseason scoreless streak in a 7-3 victory on Monday, tying the NL Championship Series at a game apiece.
Lindor added to his storybook season with a leadoff homer in the first inning against Ryan Brasier. Viento delivered during New York’s five-run second, connecting for a grand slam against Landon Knack.
Before Lindor went deep, Los Angeles had a string of 33 consecutive scoreless innings. Jack Flaherty led the Dodgers to a 9-0 victory in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night.
“I didn’t know it,” Lindor said of the Dodgers’ streak. “I was just trying to have a quality at-bat and get the guys going.”
Sean Manaea opened Game 2 with four shutout innings for New York. He was charged with three runs, two earned, and two hits in five-plus innings. Closer Edwin Diaz earned a four-out save.
“Having a lead like that just makes it a little easier,” Manaea said. “Just trying to attack guys and get ahead and go right after them.”
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts against Manaea and two walks, including one against Diaz. He is 0 for 19 with the bases empty in his first postseason.
“He’s one of the best hitters in the league, but I’ve got really good stuff,” Diaz said. “I just go after him. Hit the ball, if you get to two strikes, I will make you chase.”
Manager Dave Roberts has no intention of moving Ohtani out of the leadoff spot.
“I want Shohei to get five at-bats a game,” Roberts said. “I think he’s our best hitter, and I want him up there five times.”
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in New York.
“It’s not a sprint,” Manaea said. “It’s definitely going to be a grind of a series.”
The Mets jumped all over the Dodgers after flopping in the opener.
Lindor fouled off four consecutive pitches from Brasier before sending a 395-foot shot to right for his leadoff homer.
“When you’re facing a bullpen day, I think it’s hard to game plan but you’ve got to go out there make adjustments, whether it’s putting the ball in play, moving a guy over, getting a guy in,” rookie Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Those are the little things that you have to do to win games in the playoffs when you’re facing an elite pitching staff.”
Knack took over for LA in the second and gave up a leadoff single to Starling Marte and then walked Jesse Winker. One out later, Tyrone Taylor doubled to left, scoring Marte.
After Francisco Alvarez popped to shortstop, Lindor was intentionally walked to load the bases. Vientos sent a 391-foot shot to center for the third grand slam in Mets playoff history. That extended the lead to 6-0 and silenced the sellout crowd of 52,926.
“You’ve got Francisco ahead of me, and he hit a home run earlier in the game, so they would rather take a chance on me than him,” Vientos said. “But I use it as motivation. I’m like, ‘All right, you want me up? I’m going to show you, whatever.’”
It was the Mets’ second slam of the playoffs. Lindor hit a go-ahead slam in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Philadelphia. Edgardo Alfonzo had the club’s first playoff slam in 1999.
The Dodgers had the potential tying run at the plate with two outs in the eighth.
Tommy Edman singled and Max Muncy walked before the Mets brought in Diaz for the first time since he closed out the NL Division Series. The runners moved up on a double steal before Kiké Hernández flied out to shallow right field to end the threat.
Facing elimination, the Dodgers successfully deployed a bullpen game against San Diego in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, but it was a much different story against the Mets.
“It all is great when it works well and guys are throwing up zeros, but you’re still facing really good ballclubs,” Roberts said. “There is a margin that you have to guard against and kind of really appreciate the cost of the next games, and not forgetting that this isn’t a winner-take-all game. It’s not a three-game series.”
After Muncy homered leading off the fifth, the Dodgers rallied in the sixth to trail 6-3, reigniting the crowd.
Manaea issued consecutive walks to Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández to open the inning. Freddie Freeman grounded into a high bouncing fielder’s choice to second that Jose Iglesias couldn’t field cleanly. Hernández was safe at second on the error as Manaea exited.
Edman singled to right off Phil Maton with two strikes, scoring Betts and Hernández. Muncy walked to load the bases again and bring up Kiké Hernández, who bounced to Vientos at third.
Vientos initially bobbled the ball before throwing to second, where Muncy slid into the leg of Iglesias. Pete Alonso then kept his foot on the bag as he stretched to haul in Iglesias’ throw.
The Dodgers challenged the double-play call, but it was upheld and the inning ended.
“I probably had the two biggest at-bats of the game and didn’t come through,” Kiké Hernández said. “Even the fact that we fell behind early, we were in it until the end of the game and one swing away. We lost this one but staying positive and looking forward to the next one.”
Manaea was the first left-handed starter the Dodgers have faced this postseason. They saw him plenty during his time with San Diego in 2022 and San Francisco last year. But he changed his delivery midway through this season with the Mets, dropping his arm slot and releasing the ball more horizontally.
“He’s quite different,” Kiké Hernández said. “The ball is coming out way wider and lower than it was before. Falling behind big early in the game made us a little more hesitant to be aggressive against him.”
The Mets took advantage of hard-throwing Dodgers rookie Edgardo Henriquez with an insurance run in the ninth.
