Mets’ Pitching Risk Fails in Dodgers’ Blowout NLCS Game 1 Win

Kodai Senga started Game 1 on Sunday for his third appearance of the year, and Los Angeles teed off on him and New York’s ensuing parade of relievers.

In just his third start of the year, Kodai Senga didn’t look sharp in Game 1. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The National League Championship Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets is the definition of a heavyweight bout. The clubs boast two of the highest payrolls in the sport and rosters loaded with stars who have delivered in their teams’ biggest moments. After a considerable amount of hype heading into Sunday’s Game 1, the opening round decidedly went in favor of the home side.

The Dodgers blitzed Mets starter Kodai Senga for two runs in the first inning and one in the second, providing all the run support needed for Jack Flaherty and the rest of the team’s pitching staff, which tossed Los Angeles’s third consecutive shutout as part of a 9–0 win. The Dodgers have not allowed a run in 33 innings, tying MLB’s all-time postseason record.

The dominant run comes on the heels of the Dodgers falling behind, 2–1, in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, which put their season on the brink. Since then, Los Angeles has gotten off the mat and played with urgency to flip the script from another early October exit to a team that has the look of a true contender. The Mets, on the other hand, rode into this series with all kinds of momentum but now find themselves searching for answers after a disastrous start to the series.

Here are three key takeaways from Game 1.

Carlos Mendoza’s pitching plan backfires

New York’s manager caught some by surprise when he opted to start Senga in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Senga, who was the team’s best pitcher in 2023, didn’t pitch this year until July 26 after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, then immediately went back on the injured list with a strained calf after just one start and missed the rest of the regular season. Senga pitched two innings against Philadelphia with one run allowed and three strikeouts as part of a 6–2 Mets win, earning another shot in Game 1 on Sunday.

This time, he wasn’t nearly as sharp. Senga lacked command on all of his pitches, firing just 10 strikes over 30 pitches before being pulled with one out in the second inning. That forced Mendoza to turn to Reed Garrett and eventually lefty David Peterson for 40 pitches, ruling the latter out for Game 2. With all the left-handed hitters in the Dodgers lineup, Peterson’s availability is key, and not having him as an option for Monday makes the prospect of falling behind 0–2 look more likely. After burning through four relief pitchers, it will be paramount for Game 2 starter Sean Manaea to give Mendoza length and avoid putting the bullpen in an early hole.

Flaherty, a Los Angeles native, looked right at home in Game 1. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Jack Flaherty gives the Dodgers what they’ve been  missing

While Mendoza is now forced to get creative with his pitching plan, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is sitting on cloud nine after watching Flaherty cruise through seven scoreless innings.

Flaherty, acquired by Los Angeles at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers, didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and struck out six on 98 pitches. It was the longest postseason outing by a Dodgers pitcher since Max Scherzer in Game 1 of the NLDS, a span of 20 playoff games. The righthander threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 24 batters he faced, relying on superb fastball command to compensate for a lack of swing-and-miss stuff, as he managed just 11 swinging strikes on the night.

“For us, I think we're getting Jack at the perfect time as far as he's a veteran player, he's been through a lot, highs, lows, and found his way back,” Roberts said after the game. “This is certainly a childhood dream for him and his family. We just knew that you get a guy and you just feel that he can handle this market, handle pitching in a playoff game, starting a playoff game. That wasn't really a surprise for us.”

Flaherty’s outing is a godsend for a pitching staff that’s been besieged by injuries, forcing Roberts to do a considerable amount of juggling just to cover 27 outs. Having his starter complete seven innings makes his job easier, and leaves all of the Dodgers’ key relievers available for what will be a bullpen game in Game 2.

Shohei Ohtani snaps out of mini-slump

“Slump” is a relative term for the presumed National League MVP, but the Padres were able to keep Shohei Ohtani at bay for the most part in the last round. Over the last four games of the series, Ohtani was just 2-for-15 with eight strikeouts and no extra-base hits.

If he was having trouble with his timing at the plate, he didn’t show it on Sunday. Ohtani reached base three times with a walk and two singles, including a rocket off the wall in right-center field that left his bat with an exit velocity of 116.5 mph. Ohtani prefers the ball high, and San Diego’s pitchers kept him quiet by keeping the ball down. The Mets did not follow the same script in this one, and Ohtani made them pay.

“I think right now he's in a good spot,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s rhythm. “Like I said, that last series, I thought he chased it a little bit, but I think tonight he got back into his hitting zone and some good things happened.”

After an abysmal start, New York faces a big challenge from a pitching standpoint for the rest of the series with many questions to answer. Figuring out how to slow down Ohtani will surely be high on the list.