The New York Mets find themselves down 3-1 to the juggernaut that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Game 5 at Citi Field taking place Friday evening, the Mets need to figure out how to grab a win here to prolong the series. If not, New York’s Cinderella season will come to a close.
If the Mets are to nab a win, multiple players will have to rise up and give New York some much-needed juice. With that in mind, here are three players who could be major X-Factors in this contest.
David Peterson
Peterson needs to give New York some length. The bullpen for the most part has been very ineffective versus the Dodgers. Outside of Edwin Diaz and Ryne Stanek, it’s also quite taxed. Peterson has been solid all year long, mixing his pitches well to keep hitters off-balance. He was touched up for four hits and two earned runs in Game 1 of this series. However, he’s fully rested and ready to help take down some innings before we potentially see Kodai Senga and the Mets’ high-leverage guys. If Peterson can give the Mets anything close to what he did versus the Brewers in late September (7 IP, one hit allowed, 8 strikeouts), they’ll be very pleased.
Jesse Winker
Winker has a flair for the dramatics. He brings a ton of energy to the game. Not only that, but he has some real thump from the left side. He connected very well on a Blake Treinen fastball last night despite it resulting in a lineout to Mookie Betts in right field. He was included in Game 5’s starting lineup, where he’ll bat fifth for the Mets in this do-or-die game. The Mets would love it if Winker got going today sandwiched between Pete Alonso and Starling Marte. The Dodgers have only one lefty in their pen (Anthony Banda). Coupled with JD Martinez’s struggles, Winker should have at least three at-bats today to make something happen.
Edwin Diaz
It’s wild to think Diaz has been used only once through the first four games of this series. Credit the Dodgers for essentially making him a non-factor up to this point. We all know about how electric he can be. His fastball has a ton of life to it, and the sweeper is among the more elite pitches in the game. With Diaz being fully rested, having not pitched since Game 2, there’s a real possibility he goes two — if not three — innings in this ballgame.
Should the Mets get up early, maybe Carlos Mendoza will utilize him the way LA has used their high-leverage arms. Having Diaz take down a chunk of middle innings could be the move with the hopes that the Mets extend a hypothetical lead. At the very least in an elimination game, New York has to use all of its big guns. This includes Diaz pitching in some real capacity.
