Five Compelling Mets Storylines For Game 2

The New York Mets will be looking to sweep the Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series on Wednesday night at 7:38 p.m. ET.

A number of critical factors went into a statement Game 1 win on Tuesday. Luis Severino‘s gutsy start. Jose Iglesias‘ all-time hustle play. A monster five-run fifth inning. Huge hits from the previously slumping Jesse Winker and J.D. Martinez. An electric outing from the bullpen. More management mastery from Carlos Mendoza.

However, today is a new day, and the focus will now switch to finishing off the job and avoiding a Game 3. If the Mets want to do that and advance to the NLDS, here are five compelling storylines to watch out for in Game 2…

5 STORYLINES TO WATCH

SCORING EARLY 

It will behoove the Mets to finish the job in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Should they win Game 2 and sweep the series, they would get a few days off. The NLDS against the Phillies isn’t scheduled to start until Saturday. Given that New York has played six games in five days heading into Wednesday, the extra rest would be hugely beneficial for many reasons. And the key to completing the sweep will be a fast start. In what is a must-win game for the home team, the Mets must come out early and put runs on the board.

That would pile the pressure on the Brewers and drive up the nerves inside American Family Field. In turn, opposing batters will likely take more risks the longer the game goes on. That should play directly into the Mets’ hands. As a result, starting fast and furious will be key to earning the win in Game 2.

GOING DEEP

Luis Severino gave the Mets six innings in Game 1, but they were a tough slog of six innings. Sean Manaea‘s job in Game 2 will be to go as long into the game as possible. If he can do that, and if the Mets can pull out the win, then the bullpen should be well-rested by the time the NLDS starts on Saturday. However, it won’t be easy. Manaea laid a clunker in his last start, coming against the Brewers. He gave up six runs – five earned – on seven hits in just 3 2/3 innings. A disaster like that can’t happen again in Game 2. Manaea will have to be almost perfect against a dangerous Milwaukee lineup, and giving his team six or seven innings will also be crucial.

BULLPEN REINFORCEMENTS 

Both Phil Maton and Edwin Díaz were unavailable for Game 1 on Tuesday. Maton threw on three consecutive days to end the regular season. Díaz, meanwhile, tossed a total of 66 pitches over two days on Sunday and Monday. As such, the duo could not be touched in Game 1. The good news, however, is that both relievers should be available for Game 2. Díaz is dealing with soreness, but he’s expected to be good to go on Wednesday. That’s crucial because, with the Brewers needing to win to stay alive, the Mets will almost certainly need their frontline relievers at some point in Game 2. If the game remains close, both Maton and Díaz should have big roles to play late on.

STOP THE RUN

The Brewers’ run game is formidable. The Mets can attest to that. They lost the first two games of their final regular season series against Milwaukee because of their inability to stop the run. They had problems stopping it early in Game 1, too. The Brewers were aggressive on the basepaths in the opening innings, forcing the Mets into defensive errors and racing out to a 2-0 lead.

However, after settling into the game, New York did a good job of containing Milwaukee’s speed the rest of the way. That might be harder to do in Game 2, though. After all, the Brewers ranked second in the majors during the regular season with 217 stolen bases. They also boast a slew of speed demons and six players who have at least 18 stolen bags this year. Plus, needing to win to stay alive, the Brewers will no doubt be even more uber-aggressive and take more risks on the basepaths in order to make the Mets uncomfortable. Stopping an elite run game will be critical for the Mets if they want to advance on Wednesday.

STEPPING UP

It would be a huge advantage for the Mets if their core can step up and play to the back of their baseball cards in Game 2. Francisco Lindor is clearly still not a 100% despite his memorable home run against the Braves. Pete Alonso drew three walks on Tuesday but has hit just three home runs since Sep. 13. Brandon Nimmo is due for a statement game this time of year. Additionally, Francisco Alvarez went 0-for-4 in Game 1. You need your best players to rise to the moment in the postseason, and the Mets will need their big hitters to lead the way and get the job done in Game 2.

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