LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers will give their bullpen a chance to set a postseason record in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the visiting New York Mets on Monday afternoon.
On a 33-inning scoreless streak to tie a postseason record first set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, the Dodgers now will turn the ball over to a group that manager Dave Roberts called his MVP of the NL Division Series.
With only two relievers needed to back up starter Jack Flaherty for a 9-0 victory over the Mets in Game 1 on Sunday, Roberts will empower his bullpen to cover every out of Game 2, with Ryan Brasier as the starter.
Brasier opened Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout. In three appearances in this postseason, Brasier is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 3 2/3 innings. For his career against the Mets, he’s 1-0 with a 6.14 ERA in eight appearances.
On Wednesday, eight Dodgers relievers fired a shutout against the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NLDS, when Los Angeles’ season was on the line.
“I feel good about that,” Roberts said. “Jack being able to (pitch seven innings) opens up a lot of things and also saves some looks from some of our guys in the pen from some of their guys.”
Right-handers Daniel Hudson and Ben Casparius were the only bullpen arms needed in Game 1.
“I’m back there calling the pitches, but it’s all those guys executing what we’re deciding,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “So just trying to keep it going tomorrow.”
The Dodgers were not just about their pitching in Game 1. They also pounded out nine hits with seven walks and ran away with the victory without the aid of a home run.
Shohei Ohtani had two hits and reached base three times while scoring two runs. Mookie Betts added a three-run double and Freddie Freeman had two hits with an RBI and a run scored on a bad ankle that caused him to miss one NLDS game and leave early in another one.
The Mets are set to send left-hander Sean Manaea to the mound in Game 2. In Game 3 of the NLDS, he held the Philadelphia Phillies to one run on three hits over seven innings.
Manaea was 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 regular-season starts. He faced the Dodgers on the road April 19 and gave up two runs on four hits over five innings to earn the win. It is Manaea’s lone win over the Dodgers in 11 career appearances (eight starts), with a 7.09 ERA.
But Manaea also was a different pitcher six months ago. His release point has changed and he has refined his changeup.
“Overall just a little more confident in myself, in my stuff,” Manaea said of the time between mid-April and now. “But at the end of the day, just gotta go out and attack guys.”
After a busy close to the regular season that led immediately into the postseason, the Mets have been on a whirlwind schedule. But they had three days off before the start of the NLCS and looked out of sync in all aspects of their game in the series opener. New York’s Jesse Winker refused to blame the down time for a disappointing Game 1.
“I just think we ran into a really good pitcher who pitched well and a good lineup who scored,” Winker said. “I just think tonight they had a great night and tomorrow we’ll come back and go forward.”
The Mets lost an opener for the first time in three series this postseason and are on a five-game losing streak against the Dodgers going back to the regular season.
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
