MILWAUKEE — Two years ago, the Mets were in a similar spot, facing elimination in an NL Wild Card series. But that Mets team wasn’t quite as resilient as the current one. That was a team that didn’t know what it was like to lose and didn’t face much adversity until the end of the season, when the Atlanta Braves caught them by surprise and took the wind out of their sails.
This team has shown mental toughness and a gritty ability to surprise when counted out.
“Anything can happen at any given moment,” said first baseman Pete Alonso. “The biggest thing is just stay locked in pitch-to-pitch. We can’t really look at the big picture until the last out happens. Honestly, it’s just win every pitch.”
Through two games against the Milwaukee Brewers this week, a lot has gone right and a little has gone wrong. Here’s what to watch for in Game 3.
CONTROLLING THE RUNNING GAME
The Mets don’t particularly excel at one aspect of the game, but they don’t have any glaring weaknesses either. You could say their biggest weakness has been an inability to control the running game, but they’ve managed to curtail a speedy Milwaukee squad through the first two games of the series so far.
The Brewers ran all over the Mets last weekend, swiping nine bags. But so far, they’re 0-for-1 in the series.
“It starts on the mound, so that way we can give the catchers a chance to throw guys out,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “We did that today… We also did a good job of mixing up looks, holding the baseball and being quicker to the plate because that’s what they do. We’ve got to continue to do that.”
Left-hander Jose Quintana has thrown out two runners this season and allowed nine stolen bases. He’s typically effective when it comes to changing tempos and checking runners when needed.
FINDING WAYS
When the Mets are at their best, the lineup is long. They don’t chase pitches out of the zone and they work counts, wearing down opposing pitchers. This is how they won Game 1, but they chased in Game 2. They weren’t able to get much offense going in a 5-3 loss. They don’t like to wait for the big hit, but they sure could have used one Wednesday.
“They just hit two homers in the bottom of the eighth there, but I feel like the whole game, I thought we had great at bats,” Alonso said. “So if we can continue to take care of the ball on defense, pitch well and have good at bats, I think we’ll be alright.”
Alonso was once their biggest threat to homer, but he hit just 34 this season, the fewest in a full season since he entered the league in 2019. He also hit just .232 with runners in scoring position, a career-low.
But the Mets don’t typically rely on one hitter to get the job done and they aren’t about to start now. The pressure isn’t solely on Alonso, it’s on every hitter to find ways to get on base and drive runners in against a team whose strength is their bullpen.
The Brewers had the best bullpen in the NL during the regular season and manager Pat Murphy has used that to his advantage in the postseason. He had a quick hook with ace Freddy Peralta in Game 1 and with Frankie Montas in Game 2. The right-hander went only 3 2/3 innings Wednesday.
“When you’re facing an elite pitching staff, it’s not going to be easy to hit balls out of the ballpark,” Mendoza said. “We’ve done a good job of going the other way, taking what the game is giving us [and] putting the ball in play. Tonight, we didn’t do that.”
It’s worth noting that Game 3 could be Alonso’s last with the Mets, as the slugger is set to hit free agency after the conclusion of the World Series.
BULLPEN USAGE
Edwin Diaz has yet to pitch in the series. Setup man Phil Maton has pitched three times in four days. The bullpen isn’t necessarily in bad shape, but the Mets could consider using left-handed starter David Peterson if they’re in a bind.
Diaz played catch Wednesday and wanted to pitch, but they left Maton in after giving up a leadoff homer to Jackson Chourio. After a single and a double play, he gave up the go-ahead shot to Garrett Mitchell.
“I’ll be ready tomorrow,” Diaz said after Wednesday’s loss. “Whatever they need me for, I’ll be on, even if it’s early in the game. We’ve just got to win.”
THE KIDS
Jackson Chourio hit two home runs in Game 2 and Brice Turang went 2-for-3 with a double. Turang went 9-for-19 against the Mets during the regular season and 4-for-8 with a double and three stolen bases in two games over the weekend. In nine career games against the Mets, the 24-year-old second baseman has hit .375 with three doubles, a home run, five RBI, eight stolen bases and two walks with a .974 OPS.
The Mets have to contain the kids.