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Mets 12, Dodgers 6: Bats get hot, force Game 6
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Mets 12, Dodgers 6: Bats get hot, force Game 6

The Mets have scored at least 12 runs in just five games this season, and none of them felt as tense as they did Friday.

That's the strength of the Dodger offense, but 12 runs was ultimately enough as the Mets' 12-6 victory, or home win, on Friday night gave them life heading into Game 6 of the NLCS in Los Angeles.

After being thwarted by Dodger starter Jack Flaherty in Game 1, the Mets exploded with early runs and hits throughout the lineup. Here's a sampling of the team's offensive production:

Francisco Lindor: 2-for-4, two runs, triple

Pete Alonso: 2-for-3, three-run home run

Jesse Winker: 2-for-3, three runs, triple

Starling Marte: 4-for-5, three doubles, three RBI

Francisco Alvarez: 3-for-4, RBI

Perhaps even more impressive, the Mets' lineup didn't strike out once in the entire game, a feat the franchise hasn't accomplished since 2010 (and has never accomplished in the playoffs).

Two recurring themes for the Mets in this series were poor hitting with runners on base and a cold hit from Alonso. The slugger bucked those trends with a one-out, three-run home run in the first inning that he fished below the strike zone and released deep into center field.

It set the tone for the rest of the night.

The Dodgers scored their first run in the second inning after Kiké Hernández led off with a walk, moved to third on a two-out single by Andy Pages and scored on a wild pitch with Shohei Ohtani at bat. Mets starter David Peterson walked Ohtani at end but got out of another jam by forcing Betts to jump to first base to end the inning.

Peterson pitched well in three innings but retired in the fourth, finishing the game with two earned runs and three strikeouts but four walks through three 23 innings.

The Mets responded in the third with two walks to Alonso and Winker led off the inning, both scoring on a double by Marte down the left field line. Then Alvarez drove Marte into the game with an RBI single – his second hit of the game – Lindor drove Alvarez into the game with a two-out triple to right field, and then Brandon Nimmo drove Lindor into the game with an RBI single to make it to bring it to 8:1.

Peterson left in the fourth inning, first allowing a solo home run to Pages and then loading the bases with one and two walks to Ohtani, Betts and Teoscar Hernández, respectively. Reed Garrett came into the game with the bases loaded and two outs and hit a 3-2 backdoor slider to knock out Freddie Freeman and limit the damage in the inning.

The Mets got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a no-out triple by Winker that scored Alonso from first base, and added another on a sacrifice fly by Jeff McNeil that scored Winker.

A pair of home runs in the middle inning got the Dodgers back into the game, first a three-run blast from Pages in the fifth and a solo home run from Betts in the sixth to bring the score to 10-6. Another sac fly by McNeil in the bottom of the sixth gave the Mets their 11th run of the game, while another RBI hit by Marte in the eighth gave them their 12th and final run.

The Mets didn't compromise on their bullpen strategy, bringing in their powerhouse relievers Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz to close out the game. Díaz was particularly effective as he allowed just one hit and struck out two while getting the final six outs.

The Mets return to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Sunday, with Sean Manaea expected to pitch against a Dodger team that plans a bullpen game (with a starter still to be determined).

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Added win probability

What is WPA?

Big Mets winner: Pete Alonso, +25% WPA

Big Mets losers: Mark Vientos, -8% WPA

Mets pitcher: +6% WPA

Mets hitter: +44% WPA

The aw3s0mest game: Alonso home run, +22.3% WPA

The sux0rest game: Betts doubled in the first inning, +10.6% WPA

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