NEW YORK – You can talk about late afternoon shadows. Or the buzzard’s luck of line drives hit right at a fielder. You can tip a cap to Mets pitching. You can point to the puzzling ineffectiveness of the Phillies bullpen or the inexplicable magic that has been an active member of the New York roster for the last couple months.
In the end, though, the team with the second-best record in all of baseball this season has been pushed to the very edge of elimination in the National League Division Series because a lineup studded with big name, big money superstars has so far has not just come up small when the games mattered most. They’ve been invisible men in the first part of the game when the tone is often set.
After putting a 7-2 whupping on the Phillies in Game 3 on Tuesday night at Citi Field, the Mets can prematurely cancel Red October with one more victory Wednesday night at home or Friday at Citizens Bank Park.
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If that happens, there will be plenty of blame to go around. But the spinner must stop on the core of the expensive and much-decorated engine room of the lineup: From left to right: Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto.
In the first five innings of the first three games of the NLDS, all Phillies hitters combined have produced a .140 batting average. Six of the seven hits were singles. The only run came on Schwarber’s home run in the first Phils first at bat of the postseason. Since that, zippo.
In falling behind two games to one in the best-of-five series they’ve hit .204 as a team.
That has a ripple effect on everything that follows. When a team isn’t scoring early, pressure mounts on the starting pitcher not to make a mistake. The infield may be pulled up to try to limit the damage if runners get into scoring position, increasing the possibility that a grounder could leak into the outfield. Hitters often become anxious and start overswinging.
Philadelphia Phillies
There’s a reason the Phillies are 76-7 this year when they lead after six innings.
A lot has been made of the struggles of the Philadelphia bullpen in the postseason, and that remains a valid concern. What’s less obvious is that the Mets relievers, as a group, are running on fumes, too. If the Phillies could get on the board early, run up his pitch count, get into the pen they might not be in the predicament that’s now staring them in the face.
Yeah, they came back and scored seven times in the last four innings of Game 2 after being shut out for the first five. It was one of the most stirring postseason wins in franchise history. But the offensive cavalry doesn’t always show up in the nick of time. In fact, it usually doesn’t.
Grinding out at bats isn’t as easy as it sounds, though. especially when the opposing pitcher is throwing strikes early in the counts, which the Mets pitchers have been able to do pretty consistently.
“They’re in the strike zone,” said designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. “We’re going there and looking for our pitch. It’s going to be on us. We’re not going to go up there (and take pitches until) an 0-2 count. That’s the biggest thing. We’re not going to put ourselves at a statistical disadvantage. We’re going with our eyes. That’s the game. It’s gonna be on us, if he’s in the zone, to put our best swing on it. If we feel it’s a ball we’ve got to do our best to take the pitch and work the count.
“There’s no way around it. It’s a simple game. But when you’re out there and doing it, it’s a lot easier said than done.”
Rob Thomson is well aware that scoring early would be a splendid idea. He also understands that the other team has a say in that, too.
“It’s tough to get down early, but we have to fight,” the manager said. “We hit three balls early, just didn't have anything to show for it. Then, as the game rolls along, I think at some point guys are trying to do a little too much. We just need to stay with our approach and pass the baton. That’s what we always talk about.
“Sometimes it’s about chase. But sometimes it’s the fact that guys are throwing strikes and you need to get good pitches that you want.”
Thomson was referring to the first inning when Schwarber flied out to center and Turner and Harper grounded out to shortstop Francisco Lindor.
At the same time, with the Phillies down by just two, Mets starter Sean Manaea walked Schwarber and Turner to open the sixth. Eight of the last 9 pitches were called balls. Harper and Castellanos promptly swung at six straight pitches. Harper struck out, Castellanos ended up hitting a line drive. . .right at Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias, who easily doubled off.
Harper noted after Sunday’s emotional win that Rocky would have been proud.
What happened in Game 3 was more like something Clubber Lang would appreciate.