Mets' Mark Vientos Slams Dodgers, Juan Soto Is Heating Up, More ALCS, NLCS Takeaways
The 2024 MLB postseason has been a dandy so far, and the schedule for Monday was liable to leave one tingling with excitement.
Not one, but two Championship Series games.
The day started with Game 2 of the National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, which began as a rout before turning into a nail-biter.
The day then concluded with Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. It was mostly a one-sided affair, though it did get a little interesting in the later innings.
We have reactions for all four teams involved in Monday's slate, split into Glass Half Full and Glass Half Empty takes for each. We've also given both series a temperature check.
Read on to see what's what.
October 14 Schedule and Results
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NLCS Game 2: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
- Result: Mets 7, Dodgers 3
- Series Status: Tied 1-1
ALCS Game 1: Cleveland Guardians at New York Yankees
- Result: Yankees 5, Guardians 2
- Series Status: Yankees lead 1-0
Mets Takeaways: Glass Half Full
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That Wasn't the Mets' Real Offense in Game 1
The Mets had the third-highest-scoring offense in MLB from June 12 through the end of the regular season. They also went into the NLCS as the highest-scoring team of the playoffs.
That offense didn't show up for Game 1 on Sunday. It did for Game 2 on Monday.
Leave it to Francisco Lindor, who seems to have an endless supply of big hits in his back pocket, to get things started with a leadoff home run. Yet it was Mark Vientos who effectively delivered the knockout punch via a grand slam in the second inning:
Now, this. This right here is a better representation of where the Mets offense is at right now.
It's not perfect, but now averaging 5.0 runs per game in the playoffs. That is slightly better than the 4.7 runs per game it posted during the regular season.
So despite what the Dodgers may have thought after Game 1, in the way of this offense is still a bad place to be.
Sean Manaea Lived Up to His Newfound Billing
Line Score: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
The folks at MLB.com spit out what seemed like a hot take on Saturday: After Gerrit Cole, Manaea is the best starting pitcher left standing in the playoffs.
Then again, would anyone care to argue with this right now?
Manaea was hot to finish the regular season, posting a 3.09 ERA over his last 12 starts. Now he's improbably hotter in the playoffs. After three starts, his ERA is 2.12 and he's punched out 17 against four walks in 17 innings.
The Mets ought to have the utmost confidence in the lefty no matter who he's up against, but especially when he's up against Johnny Wholestaff like he was on Monday. And outside of Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu, Mr. Wholestaff is the Dodgers' only option for starting games.
Thus, the Dodgers could be disadvantaged again the next time Manaea starts in this series. Unless he goes on three days' rest in Game 5 on Friday, that will likely be in Game 6 on Sunday.
Mets Takeaways: Glass Half Empty
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The Defense Is Really Going Through It Right Now
Having a good offense and good starting pitching? Yeah, that's a good recipe for playing deep into October.
It's too bad, then, about the Mets defense.
The Mets committed more errors than any other playoff team during the regular season, and not much has changed in the playoffs. The defense committed five errors in the club's first eight contests, and the troubles continued in the sixth inning of Game 2 on Monday.
An error by Jose Iglesias allowed the Dodgers to load the bases, and Pete Alonso, frankly, should have been able to field a ground ball that resulted in a two-run single. Even a double play that eventually got the Mets out of the inning featured a bobble by Vientos and a wide throw to first by Iglesias.
That shoddy defense didn't doom the Mets in Game 2 is the good news. That it very well could have and certainly remains a threat going forward is, of course, the obligatory bad news.
Dodgers Takeaways: Glass Half Empty
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The Scoreless Streak Temporarily Covered Up Their Biggest Weakness
The Dodgers made history in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday, using three pitchers to run their scoreless streak to a record-tying 33 innings.
Impressive? No doubt.
But somewhat misleading? That, too.
As much as that scoreless streak would imply that the Dodgers have a limitless supply of unhittable pitchers, their guys are, in fact, human. That truth quickly revealed itself on Monday, as the Mets scored six of their seven runs in the first two innings against an opener (Ryan Brasier) and his relief (Landon Knack).
There won't be a miracle solution to this shortcoming. Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone are out with injuries, and even functional starters Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler came into the playoffs with significant questions.
The San Diego Padres initially exploited this weakness, getting to Dodgers pitchers for five runs in each of the first three games of the NLDS. They ultimately went too cold to finish the job, but the Mets proved on Monday that the job itself is still attainable.
Shohei Ohtani Has a Hidden Slump
Among the many amazing stats to be pulled from Ohtani's regular season is this one: He had the exact same OPS with men on as he did with the bases empty.
But in the playoffs, this is happening:
- Men on Base: 6-for-8
- Bases Empty: 0-for-19
Ohtani's swing rate with the bases empty is elevated a little in the playoffs, so anyone who would assume that he's pressing isn't necessarily wrong.
If Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wants to force the issue with getting Ohtani out of this slump, he could always return to the lineup he used earlier in the year when he batted second behind Mookie Betts.
Or, he could remain patient and trust his superstar to figure things out. Call it a hunch, but that is probably the way to go.
Dodgers Takeaways: Glass Half Full
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Good for You, Brent Honeywell
Line Score: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
As much as anyone, Honeywell can claim credit for how Game 2 didn't get away from the Dodgers even after they spotted the Mets a 6-0 lead.
He entered the game in the top of the fifth and experienced minimal trouble as he shut the Mets down over the next three innings. He got his fastball up to 97 mph and had some good action on his slider.
The fact that Honeywell is pitching in any capacity is a heck of a story. He was an elite prospect back in the day, but his major league debut was ultimately delayed by four arm surgeries. In all, he's played for 20 teams in 10 years.
As for whether there's more where this came from, let's agree to say "maybe."
Though Honeywell wasn't a big contributor to the Dodgers in the regular season, he did finish the year with scoreless appearances in four of the last five instances when he was asked to pitch multiple innings.
Should Roberts need multiple scoreless innings from a reliever again in this series, you wonder if he'll call on Honeywell before he calls on Knack, who was knocked for five runs in two innings on Monday.
NLCS Temperature Check: Back Down to Earth for the Dodgers
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The Dodgers didn't merely get hot in the three games leading up to Game 2 of the NLCS. They got so hot that they might as well have run unopposed.
Between Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS and Game 1 of the NLCS, there was exactly one moment when the Dodgers' chances of winning slipped below 50 percent: When Shohei Ohtani struck out against Dylan Cease leading off NLDS Game 4.
Times like that are fun when they last. But in this game, they inevitably have to end.
That happened to the Dodgers on Monday, and the Mets lived up to a certain habit of doing the deed. Game 1 was merely the latest instance when their bubble seemed ready to burst, and Game 2 was the latest of them saying, "Not today."
They weren't dead yet when they trailed Atlanta in the ninth inning of Game 161. They weren't dead yet when the Milwaukee Brewers had them down to their last three outs in the Wild Card Series. And they weren't dead yet when the Philadelphia Phillies took a lead in Game 4 of the NLDS.
On the beat goes, and now they get to carry it back to New York for the next three games of the series. Between the regular season and the postseason, the Mets are 48-35 when they play host at Citi Field.
In other words, the momentum is on their side now.
Yankees Takeaways: Glass Half Full
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Juan Soto's Salary Drive Is Back On
Soto was relatively quiet in the Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, starting with a three-hit effort in Game 1 but then going 1-for-9 in the next three games.
There's no better way to snap a quiet spell than with a bang. Or, even better, with two.
Soto started immediately with a 111 mph single off Alex Cobb in the first inning. Then in the third, he upped the ante with a 110 mph, 401-foot skyscraper of a homer that opened the scoring:
That was Soto's first playoff home run as a Yankee and his eighth overall playoff homer. A modest sum in the scheme of things, perhaps, but he's now one of only 11 players to have at least eight playoff home runs through his age-25 season.
Soto will get at least four more chances to add to his total, and his track record may offer clues as to what's next. The last two times he snapped a homer-less drought in the playoffs, he promptly homered again in the next game.
For now, that's 42 total homers for Soto on the year. He's going to get paid at least half a billion bucks this winter, no matter what, but any further damage he does in the playoffs certainly isn't going to hurt his earning power.
Carlos Rodón 1, Doubters 0
Line Score: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Contrary to Soto, Rodón has already gotten his big payday. And for the most part, his six-year, $162 million deal has looked like a misfire for the Yankees.
But not today.
After starting strong only to have the wheels come off in his Yankees playoff debut in Game 2 of the ALDS, the lefty kept the wheels securely fastened on Monday. Ultimately, he became only the fifth pitcher in club history to have a nine-strikeout, zero-walk outing in the playoffs.
Rodón really was that nasty. He got his fastball up to 97.0 mph and drew 25 swings and misses. Since the pitch tracking era began in 2008, only he and five others have ever racked up that many whiffs in a playoff game.
Though Rodón is technically meant to be Gerrit Cole's co-ace, he's set things up for their roles to be reversed. If Cole follows Rodón's fine example in Game 2 on Tuesday, the Yankees figure to head to Cleveland with a 2-0 series lead.
Yankees Takeaways: Glass Half Empty
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Aaron Judge Is Still on the Playoff Schneid
Judge drew a walk and collected his first run batted in of the 2024 playoffs on Monday, so to call it a bad game for him would be pushing it.
It was not, however, the good game that the 2022 AL MVP has been waiting for.
By failing to collect a hit in Game 1, Judge is now 2-for-15 with no home runs in these playoffs. And so it goes, as he's now 15-for-101 in his last 26 playoff games dating back to Game 3 of the 2019 ALCS.
This is a more complex story than Judge having some kind of October defect. He's notably seeing very little in the way of good pitches to hit. And as improbable as it may seem, his huge strike zone apparently can get even bigger.
The Yankees don't have a choice but to remain patient and hope Judge's bat catches fire. As nice as it is making it this far with minimal help from him, you wonder how much further they can go before the proverbial rug gets pulled out from under them.
Guardians Takeaways: Glass Half Empty
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A Truly Ugly Effort by Guardians Pitchers
To be fair, saying that the Guardians spotted the Yankees half their runs would deny the latter's their proper credit.
Still, it's not entirely inaccurate.
The Yankees got two of their runs courtesy of wild pitches, and the runners that scored on those initially got on via bases on balls. Alex Cobb and Joey Cantillo issued six of those, otherwise getting only nine outs.
Not great, Bob. Not great at all.
It is some comfort that walks weren't a persistent thorn in the Guardians' side during the regular season, but times like these nonetheless call attention to the soft underbelly of this pitching staff.
Tanner Bibee, who'll start Game 2 on Tuesday, is a top-of-the-rotation starter and the back end of Cleveland's bullpen is the best there is. Otherwise, their guys are beatable.
The Offense Is Cold Again
Speaking of beatable, the Guardians' offense has now produced two runs or fewer in three of the club's six postseason games.
Ideal? Hardly.
Surprising? Not so much that either.
The Guardians were solid for much of the year offensively, but they really hit a wall in the last two months of the season. Specifically, from August 3 to the end of the year, they outscored only five other teams.
Their final tally for the year was 708 runs. That's the fewest of the four teams remaining by 60 runs.
Anyone could have reasonably concluded at the outset of this series that the Guardians would not be able to beat the Yankees in slugfest-type games. After Game 1, it didn't increase confidence in this regard.
Guardians Takeaways: Glass Half Full
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At Least They Didn't Burn All Their Best Relievers
There's a scene in Robocop 2 when all Hell breaks loose, and the main bad guy turns to another and says, "This could look bad for us. Scramble the best spin team we have."
I doubt even that team could put a positive spin on Game 1 from the Guardians' perspective.
Their win probability never exceeded 50 percent, and even a late rally in the eighth inning barely moved the needle. Too little, too late, in other words.
But on the plus side, at least the Guardians got to give Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin a night off.
Nobody shortened games like those four in the regular season, as they handled 290 innings and posted a combined 1.49 ERA. Each worked hard in the Division Series opposite the Detroit Tigers, with Smith throwing 103 pitches as he appeared in all five games.
To this end, at least, the Guardians could have a worse setup to steal Game 2. If the offense comes through and Bibee can provide even five solid innings, the fearsome foursome can take it from there.
ALCS Temperature Check: A-Rod Isn't Wrong About the Yankees
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The Yankees aren't in the World Series yet, so why does it feel like they are?
Media hype is certainly a factor. The stars were aligning for the Yankees to return to the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years even before they had an opponent for the ALCS. Once they did, Alex Rodriguez didn't mince words:
Even then, it was hard to disagree with A-Rod. And now that the Yankees have a 1-0 lead over the Guardians, even more so.
Setting aside how well they did against the AL Central in general (24-7) and against the Royals (5-2) and Guardians (4-2), specifically, one thing the Yankees consistently did this year was score runs. The league-wide average for the season was 4.4 runs per game. At their lowest point, the Yankees scored 4.7 runs per game in August.
The Yankees are a good match for anyone to this end, but especially for the Royals and Guardians. Just as the Royals offense relied too heavily on Bobby Witt Jr., so does the Guardians offense rely too heavily on José Ramírez.
Between this and the Guardians weaker starting rotation than the Royals had in the Division Series, it begins to make sense that New York is seen by DraftKings as an overwhelming -350 favorite to win the ALCS.
The Yankees won't actually have the AL pennant in the bag until they win three more games. But unless the Guardians start showing signs of life, checking those three boxes will feel like little more than a formality for New York.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
