The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2021, when they also eliminated a division opponent to keep their October run alive. But that led to falling short against the Atlanta Braves in six games.
Now coming off an emotionally-charged NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers are mindful of avoiding a letdown in their matchup with the red-hot New York Mets.
“It was an exhausting series, going back to ’21 to kind of beat the Giants and then to get on and play against the Braves. So I don’t really know where our headspace was at that time,” manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday.
“But I do know that we’ve got to push on and keep the momentum, play with that same urgency and not get caught up in it’s a seven-game series. That just can’t happen. So I think that’s one thing that we’re very mindful of.”
Max Muncy expressed a similar sentiment, and looks to be part of a Dodgers lineup that provides early run support for Jack Flaherty. The right-hander is making his second postseason start with the Dodgers, and admittedly was pressing in the NLDS.
Flaherty got into the sixth inning but allowed four runs on five hits in a relatively modest performance.
“I thought there was a lot of good things from Jack last series. I thought the command was better,” Roberts said. “He’s going to compete. I think he’s going to mix and match his sequencing, use his fastball when he needs to, keep them honest in, manage the game, navigate the lineup.
“I just feel he’s built for moments like this. I think the pulse, the stuff. I really feel a good one out of Jack tonight.”
The Mets counter with Kodai Senga, who is pitching for only the third time since the regular season began. Senga suffered a right shoulder capsule strain that delayed his 2024 debut until July 26.
He then sustained a left calf strain in the sixth inning of that start, and initially was projected to be out for the rest of the year. Senga returned for the NLDS, though only threw two innings.
At best he figures to give the Mets three innings in Game 1. That is not going to impact the Dodgers’ approach, however.
“A saying we’ve always kind of had when you’re approaching a guy that may not give a ton of innings or maybe it’s an opener or any number of things is, he’s going to go as long as we let him go. If we put together a bunch of really poor at-bats, they’re probably going to keep running him out there,” Muncy said.
“If we put together a bunch of good at-bats and score some runs, get a lot of traffic on the bases, we probably won’t see him too many times. It’s one of those things he’ll go as long as we let him go. We’re obviously preparing for him like he’s a built-up starter.
“Whether that’s the case or not, you have to prepare for him that way, and you also are preparing for everyone else just the same as we always would.”
Dodgers lineup
DH: Shohei Ohtani
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
LF: Teoscar Hernández
C: Will Smith
3B: Make Muncy
CF: Kiké Hernández
2B: Gavin Lux
SS: Tommy Edman
Mets lineup
SS: Francisco Lindor
3B: Mark Vientos
LF: Brandon Nimmo
1B: Pete Alonso
RF: Starling Marte
DH: Jesse Winker
2B: Jose Iglesias
CF: Tyrone Taylor
C: Francisco Alvarez
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