Wednesday, October 16, 2024 • 8:08 p.m
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Walker Buhler (1-6, 5.38) vs. RHP Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91)
FS1

It's a brand new NLCS with everything limited to one game apiece. Francisco Lindor ended the Dodgers' 33-inning postseason scoreless streak with a leadoff home run on Monday. The Dodgers responded by intentionally letting Lindor run into his face on his next at-bat Mark Vientos with loaded bases. Vientos paid for that mistake with a grand slam and the Mets held on for a 7-3 win.

Citi Field is now hosting its first NLCS game since 2015. Mets fans are ready to welcome the Mets home. It's now a five game series with the Mets having home field advantage!

Luis Severino. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Mark Vientos – 3B
3. Brandon Nimmo –LF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Starling Marte – RF
6. JD Martinez – DH
7. Jose Iglesias – 2B
8. Tyrone Taylor – RF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Luis Severino made 31 starts in the regular season and threw 182 innings with a 3.91 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.242 WHIP, and 101 ERA+. He was solid in his two starts in the postseason, allowing exactly three earned runs in six innings. Both of his postseason starts have been away, but tonight is his first home start. In 97 1/3 regular season innings at home, he had a 2.96 ERA (compared to a 5.00 ERA on the road over 84 2/3 innings). The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Mookie Betts 11-34, 4 2B, HR, 6 BB, 7 K
• Tommy Edman 1-2
• Freddie Freeman 0-5, BB
• Enrique Kiké Hernández 1-7, 2B, 2K
• Teoscar Hernandez 2-11, 2B, HR, 6K
• Kevin Kiermaier 3-28, 2BB, 13K
• Max Muncy 1-2, HR, K
• Shohei Ohtani 3-6, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• Will Smith 1-3

Opposing formation

1. Shohei Ohtani – DH
2. Mookie Betts – RF
3. Freddie Freeman – 1B
4. Max Muncy – 3B
5. Teoscar Hernandez –LF
6. Gavin Lux – 2B
7. Will Smith – C
8. Tommy Edman – SS
9. Kiké Hernández – CF

Walker Buehler is coming off his third straight injury-shortened season. Buehler previously played about a third of the 2022 season Tommy John Operation. He missed all of 2023 recovering and about two months of 2024 recovering from a hip injury. In 16 starts and 75 1/3 innings in 2024, he has a 5.38 ERA, 5.54 FIP, 1.553 WHIP and 72 ERA+. He started putting things together in September when he was over Had an ERA of 4.44 in 26 1/3 innings. He got off to a rough start against the Padres in the NLDS, where he allowed six runs over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Buehler:

• Pete Alonso 5-14, 4 HR, K
• Harrison Bader 1-6, BB, K
• Jose Iglesias 4-10, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-2, Human Resources
• Starling Marte 2-6, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• JD Martinez 0-3, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-9, BB, 2K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-10, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, 2B
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K
• Jesse Winker 4-15, 2 hours, 2 K

Game notes

Three things to pay attention to

1. Mark Vientos. Vientos had his first tough game of the postseason on Sunday, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He responded Monday with another two-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam. He has multiple hits, including three home runs and 11 RBIs, in six of the nine postseason games he has appeared in, hitting .378/.410/.676. There will be no doubt about him for the rest of this series.
2. Lindor's power is back. This postseason, Lindor has three doubles and two home runs. Four of those five extra-base hits have come in his last four games, including a game in which he went 0-for-3 with a walk (NLCS game one). The Mets are 4-0 when Lindor has an extra-base hit (2-3 and when he doesn't).
3. Pete Alonso. Alonso had a quiet start to the NLCS, going 1-for-7 with two walks (and a stolen base, eh?). From the end of the Wild Card Round through Game 3 of the NLDS, Alonso hit three home runs (including the biggest home run of his life) in four games. He has five hits against Walker Buehler in his life, four of which were home runs. Tonight would be a good time for the polar bear to show some strength.

Let's go, Mets!