Dodgers show might with another rout of Mets, take 3-1 NLCS lead

NEW YORK — To understand how much these October games mean to the players involved and their determination in them, consider the way Brandon Nimmo hustled up the line to avoid a double play in the fourth inning Thursday night. At a sprint speed of 29 feet per second, he ran a full second better than his season average, plantar fasciitis in his left foot be damned. Even if off his personal best of 31.1 seconds, he gave every ounce of what he had, beat the relay by inches, confirmed by video review, and plated a run in the process.

If you’re the New York Mets, how could you not be fired up?

“A lot of respect for guys that you are seeing on the field,” said New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “It’s not easy. When you get to this point in the year, it's a privilege, right? … With Nimmo, he's doing everything he can. Not only is he available, he's playing in the outfield. (Wednesday) I checked with him in the seventh, I wanted to take him out. He was, like, ‘No, I want to finish the game.’ That tells you right there the professionalism, how much they want it, and they know they have to be there for the team. So a lot of respect for them.”

Sometimes though, even such extraordinary efforts aren’t enough against a better-built and superior opponent, which is very much what the Los Angeles Dodgers are proving to be in the National League Championship Series. Even without their own hobbled star Thursday, as Freddie Freeman sat to manage his badly sprained right ankle, the NL West champs took a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven with their latest rout of the Mets, this one 10-2 before 43,882 at Citi Field.

Shohei Ohtani greeted Jose Quintana by clubbing the second pitch of the game 422 feet to right field — his first post-season hit with the bases empty — before a Tommy Edman RBI double and Kiké Hernández's run-scoring single in the third put the Dodgers up for good. Mookie Betts broke out of a cold spell with a two-run double in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth to open things up.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, flashing the dominant arsenal that landed him a $325-million, 12-year contract last winter, struck out eight in 4.1 innings of two-run ball and the Dodgers bullpen did the rest from there.

Jack Flaherty starts for L.A. in Game 5, with manager Dave Roberts saying “he gives us the best chance to win (Friday evening). We have our full slew of guys behind him. And there's a sense of urgency to win this game (Friday).”

The Mets plan to counter with lefty David Peterson, rather than Game 1 starter Kodai Senga, who’ll be available out of the bullpen in a contest their season now depends on.

“If you have no belief, you shouldn’t be here,” said star Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. “You’ve got to believe. You’ve got to fight for what we want. It comes down to one day at a time and executing.”

Nimmo did try to will the Mets back into the game in the sixth when he led off with a single before Starling Marte followed with a base hit and J.D. Martinez walked to load the bases, but Evan Phillips didn’t wilt, striking out Jose Iglesias before getting Jeff McNeil on a soft fly ball to shallow centre.

When Mendoza went to another pinch-hitter, Jesse Winker, Roberts countered with Blake Treinen, who served up a 94.5 m.p.h. fastball that the lefty slugger ripped to right field, where Betts comfortably corralled the 342-foot drive.

Another Nimmo single in the seventh, this one with two outs to put two aboard, also went for naught when Marte also flew out to Betts. The Dodgers, meanwhile, kept adding, Edman delivering a two-run double and Will Smith an RBI single in the eighth.

“I'm certainly glad I'm on this side of things," said Phillips, who worked 1.1 scoreless innings. “It's certainly not the most fun thing to do to try to go out there and face a star-studded lineup, but it's part of our game and we've certainly put together a great team. And it's really fun to see this talent work like it is.”

Roberts made it sound like the Dodgers will have Freeman back in the lineup for Game 5, describing the decision to sit the all-star first baseman Thursday as one made to put him in “the best position for the games going forward.”

The decision was made after Wednesday’s 9-0 win and Roberts’ thinking was that Freeman could get a more restful night, arrive to the ballpark later than usual on Thursday and prepare for a pinch-hit at-bat if needed.

“As a player when you're preparing for a game there's anxiety that goes into the next day,” Roberts said. “Hopefully that kind of anxiety has been tempered and you can kind of lock in from the fifth inning and be on in a spot.”

Heroics from Freeman weren’t needed as the might of the Dodgers weighs on every facet of the series. They’re getting better pitching, both from their starters and relievers, while their offence is all the more scary now that Ohtani and Betts are locking in and the execution level is simply elite.

“Momentum … it’s a real thing,” said Roberts. “Once you start getting momentum with something you should have kind of taken care of, then things happen. So whether you get a big hit or taking a 3-2 pitch for a ball to then get a big walk or get a big hit or a big play defensively, all that stuff matters.”

The Dodgers are doing all of it and as much as Nimmo and others are giving the Mets right now, they’re going to need so much more to keep their season from ending Friday.