Livescore
In what could end up being the middle game of the best-of-five series, the Mets scored their most decisive victory of the young postseason, a 7-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, behind a dazzling performance from Sean Manaea and some timely hits they put the division winners on the brink of elimination.
Philly right fielder Nick Castellanos said that despite the loss, the team isn’t going to flush the game for a mental clean slate as they look to extend the series on Wednesday night.
“I think instead of just flushing it and forgetting it, I think right now it’s important to embrace what the situation is: We lose we’re going home, baseball is over for us,” he said from the visitor’s locker room.
“And it’s a great opportunity,” he added. “if we’re able to come in and scrape out a win here, I know that they do not want to go back to Philly for a Game 5.”
Even with the chance to clinch at a raucous Citi Field on Wednesday, in just their second home game in the last fortnight, the Mets aren’t letting any bulletin board material slip out of their clubhouse.
“They’re a special team,” Francisco Lindor said of the Phillies. “We just gotta go out there and play the game the right way and give everything we have and see how everything turns out.”
After jump-starting the Mets’ party with a second-inning opposite-field blast, Pete Alonso said it would be “fantastic” to end the series in Game 4, but they “have to stay within ourselves.”
“Focus on the task at hand, pitch to pitch, out to out, inning to inning,” the first baseman said. “I believe if we can do that, stay right there in the groove of things and don’t try to do too much in each moment, I think we’ll be able to get it done tomorrow.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza admitted it would be “special” to clinch in front of a home crowd, but wasn’t going to let the Game 3 result – win or lose – impact his team.
“We’ve got to come back tomorrow and we’ve got to win a baseball game. If we would have lost today, the mentality: We need to come back tomorrow and win a baseball game,” he said. “One day at a time mentality. One series at a time.
“…We’ve got to stay humble. We’ve got to come back tomorrow. We have to prepare, we go about our business pregame, and then we’ve got to go out there, we got to compete and we’ve got to go out there and execute. We’ll see what happens.”
Jose Iglesias, who drove in two runs in the eighth, said the plan is to “go up there with same energy and try to compete and try to win every inning” in Game 4.
The memory of the Phillies snatching back a win in Game 2 will serve the Mets well.
“Phillies are a really good team,” Jesse Winker said. “Sometimes the opposing team puts good swings on balls and makes good pitches. They’re in the playoffs as well, and they’re gonna keep fighting and they’re gonna come back tomorrow and give us a great game.
“And we’re prepared for it and we just gotta keep going. We know how talented they are. We know how good [Philadlphia’s Game 4 stater] Ranger Suarez is and everybody that comes in behind him. And we’re gonna take it one pitch at a time and try to get a win.”
Much like the Mets’ approach at the plate in big spots, Starling Marte said the key is to avoid trying “to do too much.”
“We kind of have to play within ourselves and just go out there and do our job,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “But at the same time, we want to be able to go out there and celebrate and win.”
Brandon Nimmo, who tasted defeat in a win-or-go-home game in the Wild Card series two seasons ago, added, “We’re looking to finish this and be done, they’re looking to try and extend the series and get back to Philadelphia.”
“It’s a battle of wills tomorrow,” he said, “and we’ll see what happens.”
A battle their foes are prepared for.
“Just gotta win,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “I think we’ve done that all year. Just gotta go out there and get [Jose] Quintana and win a game.”
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