LOS ANGELES – It was no coincidence that the New York Mets reached the NLCS.

During New York's run to this point in the postseason, they have made responding to adversity part of their team DNA. Whether it was Pete Alonso's go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the Wild Card Round against Milwaukee or losing Game 2 to the Phillies in the NLDS after making a stirring comeback, the Mets were unfazed by one's emotional highs and lows An intense postseason run distracts her.

After being blown out by the Dodgers in Game 1 of this series, there was no reason to think the Mets wouldn't respond.

“It was an important game today, especially after the way we played last night,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team’s 7-3 win in Game 2. “We have that all year over made. We get punched in the face and continue to find ways to get back up. And it will continue to be that way.”

The Mets were led all year by Francisco Lindor, who not only had his best season since joining the Mets, but was also the team's vocal leader during its rise to the best roster in baseball since June 1st. And so it was fitting that the player who has been the Mets' spark plug all year is the one who gets New York on the right track on Monday.

The Mets shortstop battled with Dodgers opener Ryan Brasier in the leadoff, and after a score of 2-1, Lindor fouled off four straight Brasier offerings. In the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Lindor got exactly what he wanted, smashing an 89.7 mph cutter 395 feet into the Mets' bullpen, giving New York the lead before the Dodger Stadium crowd arrived could.

Lindor's solo home run put the Mets in a good mood early and started the Dodgers' scheduled bullpen game on a rocky note.

“It's all great when it's working well and guys are throwing zeros, but you're still going up against really good ball hitters,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his game plan. “And there is a margin that you have to be wary of and really assess the cost of the next games, without forgetting that this is not a winner-take-all game. It’s not a three-game series.”

But the biggest hit of the day for the Mets came from the bat of Mark Vientos. The Mets third baseman — who is in the midst of a breakout season and has career-highs in all offensive categories — has become a driving force for New York's lineup. In the second inning, New York continued to apply pressure against LA's second pitcher of the night, Landon Knack. The Mets had runners on second and third with two outs and a run already in when they flipped the lineup to head back to Lindor.

After seeing that he was locked up, the Dodgers decided to intentionally move Lindor and bring Vientos on the roster with the opportunity to do something big.

Vientos, like Lindor in the first game, didn't give up even after falling behind at 1-2. He fought his way back to 3-2, fouled another pitch and then found one he could control. Vientos hammered a fastball into the right-center field stands for a grand slam, giving the Mets a 6-0 lead.

“I took it personally,” Vientos said of the intentional walk before his slam. “I definitely want to be up there for this fight. I would like you to accompany Lindor in this situation and accommodate me there.

“I had Francisco in front of me and he hit a home run, so they would rather take a chance on me than him. But I use it as motivation. I'm like, 'Do you want me to come up? I'll show you. Whatever.'”

Vientos now boasts a .378/.410/.676 slash line with three home runs this postseason and leads the Mets in nearly every offensive category. Despite being one of the youngest players on the Mets' roster, he knows every moment could be great in October.

“I was like a sponge around all these guys,” Vientos said. “A lot of great players that I’m surrounded by. I'm very lucky. I ask a lot of questions, especially at times like this because I haven't been in the postseason. I ask her, “Hey, how do I do this?”

“JD (Martinez) won a World Series and he brings the guys together and he tells us to keep our emotions balanced, especially when the opponent is up and we are down or vice versa. Because the team that keeps its emotions like that is the one that comes out on top in the end.”

Unlike the first game, the New York team found a way to feel comfortable in the second game by taking part in the at-bats. Lindor, Vientos and an 11-pitch at-bat from Alonso showed that despite a variety of different weapons coming out of the Dodgers' bullpen, the Mets have a sustained approach that could last the rest of the series – especially if L.A did this to go with another bullpen game, which the Dodgers probably will.

“There are a lot of different ways we can create and attack,” Mendoza said. “Whether it's not just hitting the ball out of the stadium, but also taking a walk, putting the ball in play or going the other way when we just need to make something happen.

“That’s what makes this a deep lineup. When you're facing a bullpen day, I think it's difficult to make a game plan. But you have to go out there, make adjustments and embrace what the game offers you. Whether it’s putting the ball in play, moving a player, putting a player in play, those are the little things you have to do to win games in the playoffs.”

After splitting the first two games in LA, the Mets feel as good as they should be. New York will have both Luis Severino and José Quintana ready for Games 3 and 4 before deciding whether to start Kodai Senga again after his struggles in Game 1. The Mets clearly have an advantage now that they have played three straight games in front of their home crowd and their starting pitching is so deep.

“I feel great,” closer Edwin Díaz, who had a four-out save, said after the game. “Getting a W here in LA, going home to play three more games there – we have a chance to win the series there at home. So I feel really good. We are really happy.”