The New York Mets' realistic hopes of getting back in the World Series rest on the strong right arm of Noah Syndergaard.
Young Thor could not have liked what he saw in Game 2, when the Royals put up seven runs against New York's vaunted pitching staff. What makes it even tougher for the Mets to swallow is that they did the damage in a game started by ace Jacob deGrom.
All deGrom had done in the postseason to that point was get the best of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and shut down the power-hitting Chicago Cubs.
Syndergaard has been a flamethrower throughout the postseason, but these Royals are relentless fastball hitters. After sweeping both games in Kansas City, they are now just two wins away from securing the team's second World Series title.
Noah Syndergaard throws a bullpen session Wednesday in advance of his World Series Game 3 start. #Mets pic.twitter.com/N1f1YLwEYF
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 28, 2015
Yordano Ventura will be on the mound for the Royals in Game 3, and he has the kind of arm to shut down a good-hitting team like the Mets. However, Ventura has been inconsistent in the postseason, and if his command is not razor-sharp, he may have a hard time shutting down hitters like Curtis Granderson, David Wright, Yoenis Cespedes, Daniel Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud.
The Royals are a solid team on the road, having won critical games in Texas and Toronto in the first two rounds of the postseason. But it may be even harder to play on the road at Citi Field, where fans have been longing to see their team play in the World Series for the first time since 2000.
Syndergaard, 23, has struck out 20 batters in two postseason starts against the Dodgers and the Cubs. He has a 2.77 earned run average and has given up eight hits and six walks in 13.0 innings. So while he throws hard and has electric stuff, it doesn't seem likely that Syndergaard will completely shut down the slashing Royals.
Ventura pitched two games in the American League Championship Series and gave up four runs, 12 hits and four walks in 10.2 innings. That worked out to a respectable 3.38 ERA, but it showed he is hittable.
Expect the Mets to come after Ventura aggressively. They have a much better chance of winning if they take the lead early and continuing to tack on runs against the Royals, because Kansas City is going to come back throughout the game.
New York knows that teams have come back from 0-2 deficits to win the World Series before. The 1986 Mets did it, losing their first two games at home before beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.
The Mets know that they have to win this game or they won't have a realistic chance of winning the World Series. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the Fall Classic, and the Royals have a relentless approach that has been steeled by getting to the seventh game of the World Series a year ago.
They don't want to fall short this year, and they would like to make short work of the Mets.
They might do that, but it won't be a four-game sweep. Look for the Mets to build an early lead and then hold off Kansas City as they pull off a 7-5 victory and get back in the World Series.
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