The first one was marvelous and historic.
The pitching duel between New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom and Los Angeles Dodgers counterpart Clayton Kershaw is why pitchers get top billing in Game 1s. For the first time in postseason history, each starter struck out at least 11 hitters, but it was the Mets offense that broke through to take the lead in a National League Division Series with a 3-1 win Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
That painted the Dodgers into a corner for Saturday night's Game 2. They have already lost home-field advantage and are in danger of dropping the first two games of the best-of-five set.
The good news is that Zack Greinke, one of the front-runners for the league's Cy Young Award, is going to start. But the Mets have already dispatched one of Los Angeles' aces before Games 3 and 4 in New York.
The second game is clearly more critical for the Dodgers than the Mets, but New York isn't about to give away a playoff game just because it's leading the series. The keys to winning Game 2 could make or break either club.
Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers Must Capitalize on Chances
Opportunities arose in Game 1—that much is certain. The Dodgers did not take advantage of them, though.
For as dominant as deGrom was, Los Angeles did manage six baserunners against him in his seven innings of work. The problem was it could not get a timely, high-leverage hit.
Not until the eighth inning did the Dodgers produce a knock with a runner in scoring position, and they were a miserable 2-for-13 with runners on base. They also finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
Gonzalez, who hit .188 in last year's NLDS, stranded two and struck out three times, though he did drive in that eighth-inning run. Corey Seager, Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson also left two on base. Kershaw stranded four, but as a pitcher that's somewhat expected, so griping about it is pointless.
The Dodgers finished the regular season with one of the best offenses in the majors, but they looked nothing like that Friday. And while deGrom had plenty, or everything, to do with that, Los Angeles' numbers with men on base will typically equate to a loss.
The Dodgers will likely again have chances for timely hits against Noah Syndergaard, New York's Game 2 starter, but if they do what they did in Game 1, this series may be all but over before it heads east.
Yoenis Cespedes Needs a Breakout Performance
Things might seem rosy for the Mets after they beat Kershaw on the road to win Game 1. But they did it without any contribution from Cespedes, who is a major reason why they're even in the playoffs. With his second-half exploits, Cespedes garnered MVP consideration before he had played even 35 games in the league.
As absurd as that argument was, it gained traction as New York motored toward the NL East title. But Cespedes hit .219/.282/.406 with 17 strikeouts in his last 71 plate appearances.
The trend continued Friday as he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and stranded four runners.
Assuming Greinke is his usual dominant self in Game 2, the Mets will need Cespedes' bat if they are going to have a good chance to win a second game at Chavez Ravine.
Greinke's Brilliance, Syndergaard's Surge Must Continue
The first game of this series was such a pitching duel that the Mets' three runs seemed like a barrage of offense. With Greinke and Syndergaard starting Saturday, there could be a similar feeling in Game 2.
Greinke led the majors with a 1.66 ERA and has yet to allow more than two runs in his four postseason starts with the Dodgers, which gives him a 1.93 ERA in 28 innings.
Syndergaard has gone through some growing pains this season, but over his final four starts he had a 2.93 ERA (nine earned runs in 27.2 innings). One of those turns, against the New York Yankees, ended after he allowed five earned runs in six innings, but he surrendered no more than two earned runs in the other three outings.
Syndergaard had a 4.23 ERA on the road this season, but two of those final four starts were on the road, and though they came against the weak-hitting Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, he allowed only three runs in 14.2 innings.
"To me, it's just all about getting comfortable out there on the mound, on the road," Syndergaard told reporters Friday. "I feel like [in] the last couple starts I had on the road I had a lot of success, lot of comforts. The big thing for me was being able to execute my pitches and become more of a pitcher, not a thrower. And I feel like that's going to play a huge role [in Game 2]."
For their respective clubs to have a realistic chance to win Saturday night, both starters will have to continue their recent dominance.
All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.
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