It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a bad matchup for the Mets. It was a bad matchup for left-hander Jose Quintana in Game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday night, and a bad matchup for Jose Butto, the right-hander who relieved him.
It was a bad matchup for a lineup that has suddenly gone as cold as the temperature at Citi Field.
The Mets are down 3-1 in the series after a 10-2 loss on Thursday night at Citi Field. They’ve been outscored 30-9 in the series and are now faced with the possibility of being eliminated Friday night in Game 5. The magic that has characterized the Mets’ month of October feels as though it’s dissipating with each run scored by the Dodgers.
For a brief moment, there was hope for the home team. After Shohei Ohtani teed off on Quintana to start the game, Mark Vientos evened the score with one of his own off Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the pitcher who spurned the Mets for the Dodgers, in the bottom of the inning. Quintana gave up two more runs in the third, but it could have been worse without the defense-saving runs behind him. The Amazin’s cut the lead to one in the bottom of the inning, but that was as close as they would come.
The Mets have a tough time playing to their own strengths against the Dodgers. A long lineup full of patient hitters that don’t chase breaking balls out of the zone, the Mets’ pitching staff has been unable to work ahead in the count and throw strikes. Four pitchers walked nine hitters.
The Dodgers pitching staff has been able to get out of trouble with traffic on the bases. The big hits that came in the first two rounds of the playoffs have gone for outs in the third. One night after leaving eight men on base, the Mets stranded 12.
Down one run in the bottom of the third, they left two on base. Down five in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets loaded the bases on Blake Treinen with none out, only to go down in order. Jose Iglesias struck out, pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil popped one up to shallow center field and Jesse Winker pinch-hit a fly ball back to the right field warning track, but it didn’t carry enough and landed in the glove of Mookie Betts for the third out.
Betts killed the Mets, going 4-for-6 with four RBI and three runs scored. His two-run double in the top of the fourth was the key play of the game.
After Quintana put two on with one out in the fourth, the Mets, down 3-2, pulled him for Butto. Butto had struggled through his first postseason, coming in allowing four earned runs in only 4 2/3 innings. Still, with two right-handers coming up, the Mets played the matchups.
Facing Betts, he threw two sliders in the dirt in an attempt to get the outfielder to chase. Betts didn’t bite. Forced to go to his fastball, he left it over the plate and Betts drilled it into the left field corner to clear the bases.
The Mets fell behind 5-2. Quintana was charged with all five runs. He walked four and struck out two over 3 1/3 innings.
Butto pitched around Ohtani in the sixth and Maton came on to face Betts with one out. He drove a 2-2 sweeper over the left field fence, putting Los Angeles up 7-2.
After Danny Young gave up three runs in the top of the eighth, a sellout crowd thinned out significantly, hitting the turnstiles for an early exit.