The Dodgers this postseason only look good when they've got an actual accomplished starting pitcher to rally behind. So with Jack Flaherty on his game, they can attack. You take that away and throw in a reliever game...it may not go as well.
And so, the Mets lineup had no trouble with the Dodgers when it was just Landon Knack standing in the way between them and glory. Flaherty they had to wait around to get him off the mound. Knack? The party commenced. Lindor had a huge hit, Tyrone Taylor had a huge hit, then after Lindor got walked VIENTOS had a huge hit. And all while Sean Manaea continued his incredible postseason run, his sweeper perfected and his credibility restored. Doing all of this in LA, and making the Dodgers look powerless even after what they did yesterday, is a huge serve, and it could be a hint that this series may not be as one-sided as the pundits are giving off. If the Mets can do this, and if the Dodgers' pitching arsenal is limited this year [eventually they're gonna have to go with Buehler again], the Mets may be alright after all.
In his first full, healthy season in New York, Carlos Rodon has flirted with greatness but hasn't completely committed. He went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA and 195 Ks in 32 starts, his fullest and winningest season to date, but he also gave up more home runs than ever before, and wasn't quite as dominant as his 2021-22 peak. He showed moments of greatness but not the full idea of it. Even in postseason starts to this point, Rodon would strike a lot of people out but get lit up at some point.
Which is why it's such a welcome surprise that Rodon, having been given the ball for Game 1 as Cole rests from the ALDS, absolutely dominated the Guardians tonight. He struck out 9, only gave up 1 run, and looked completely on throughout the start. Comparatively, Alex Cobb struggled, loading the bases for Joey Cantillo, which led to multiple runs scoring on wild pitches. That is not something you want happening in the postseason, and those passed balls were the difference maker for the Guardians. Because both teams gave up the same amount of hits, six of them, and both teams fought back with long balls and RBIs. But after the Yankees took the lead on the passed balls, there really was no catching them.
The Guardians not only lost what could have been a close game, they lost it on rookie mistakes. And now they go into a Game 2 against Gerrit Cole, who's been very good this postseason, handing the ball to Tanner Bibee, who's arguably been better. This could be the kind of competitive, back-and-forth game we were all expecting for Game 1.
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