It all comes down to this for the New York Mets.
After blowing a lead late in Game 2, the Mets must beat the Brewers in Game 3 or face an early end to their 2024 postseason adventure.
What took place on Wednesday has now been firmly consigned to the history books. All that matters is what the Mets do on Thursday with their entire season on the line. New York is 9-8 all-time in win-or-go-home postseason games.
On that note, here are five key storylines to watch out for in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series…
Photo by: Roberto Carlo/Imagn Images
Resiliency has been the Mets’ calling card all year long. They recovered from an awful start to the year and overcame a slew of crushing setbacks en route to punching their postseason ticket. They showed an incredibly tough underbelly to move past three back-breaking losses in a row at the end of the regular season. And, after absorbing body blow after body blow, this team displayed all of its toughness and grit by taking down the Braves when it mattered most.
However, there is no doubt that Game 3 will test New York’s resolve to the max. This is an actual do-or-die game now and even the smallest of mistakes could prove fatal. As such, the Mets must do what they’ve done all year and drag themselves off the canvas, ready to fight until the bitter end. However, it won’t be easy. The Brewers have all the momentum and will have an energetic home crowd behind them. That said, the Mets have been creating magic all year with the odds stacked against them. More of that magic will be needed in Game 3.
New York just didn’t execute in Game 2. Phil Maton allowed two home runs to hand the game back to the Brewers late. The offense went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They also left nine runners on base and didn’t score a run after the second inning, and Carlos Mendoza made a plethora of questionable decisions that ultimately cost his team the game. As a result, the Mets now find themselves in an elimination game. Commit those same errors and fail to execute in big spots and an extra long offseason will be the unwanted prize. Therefore, every member of this team must do their job and not shrink under pressure. They must own the moment, and not let the moment own them. Otherwise, they will be boarding a flight back to New York rather than making the trip to Philadelphia for the NLDS.
What version of Jose Quintana will we see on Thursday night? The veteran posted a 4.13 ERA during the first half of the year after making a habit of suffering ugly outings. However, Quintana has got the train back on track with a 3.18 ERA in the second half of the season. Furthermore, he owned a stellar 0.72 ERA in four starts in September and produced a 2.77 ERA over his final 18 starts. Plus, if you want more reason to feel confident with the lefty on the mound in Game 3, Quintana has been reliable in the postseason. He owns a 3.86 ERA in five career playoff games. Also historically good against the Brewers, Quintana will need to continue his strong finish to the year if the Mets want to continue playing in October.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Edwin Díaz could well be the X-Factor for the Mets in Game 3. The closer wasn’t used in Game 2 due to the fact that he was only available for one inning. Instead, Phil Maton pitched the eighth inning, and that backfired spectacularly. The good news is that Díaz should be available to pitch a couple of innings in Game 3 if required. The bad news, however, is the uncertainty over just how much the righty has left in the tank. He threw a combined 66 pitches on Sunday and Monday and had to endure the emotional toll of imploding in Game 1 in Atlanta.
Díaz is paid the big money because of his ability to get the job done in high-leverage situations. If he’s called upon to get the final six outs on Thursday, he will be expected to deliver. If he can only get three, however, that could put the Mets in a really difficult spot. Díaz is a shutdown closer for a reason, and his ability to pitch, and pitch well, in multiple innings in Game 3 could be key to saving the Mets’ season.
The Mets need a hero in Game 3. And they really need that hero to be Pete Alonso. In what could be his final game with the franchise, will Alonso finally step up and deliver the type of statement game every great player needs to cement their legacy? It is a big if. Alonso has struggled to really step up and deliver in the clutch all year long. He hit just .232 with RISP all year and just .215 with men on base. Those struggles were epitomized in an ugly way in Game 2 when Alonso tripped over his own bat coming out of the batter’s box. The end result? Alonso hit into an inning-ending double play and left a runner stranded at third. Not good.
Furthermore, the slugger is just 4-for-38 (.105), with all four hits being singles, since hitting his last home run on Sept. 19. In other words, Alonso hasn’t been able to put this team on his back when they’ve needed him the most. Well, they will need him more than ever in Game 3 and it remains to be seen if Alonso can deliver. Of course, one monster swing can flip the narrative and save an entire legacy. This moment was built for Alonso. He hasn’t truly delivered a big hit when it really matters with all the marbles up for grabs in a Mets uniform yet. Game 3 would be the perfect time to change that. If this is it for Alonso in Queens, what better way to leave than as a postseason hero?
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