Despite being shutout in two of their three NLCS games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets’ big move for the lineup in Game 4 is to stay the course with their current order.
The Mets entered Game 3 of the NLCS on a high. They roared back with a big win on Monday to even the series. And took back home advantage in their best-of-seven series. However, their momentum was completely stopped at home on Wednesday night. For the second time in the series, the New York bats were kept silent during another lopsided loss.
Related: New York Mets game today – Get everything you need to know about Game 4 of Mets vs. Dodgers
A second shutout in the series has intensifed speculation that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza could, and should, make some changes to the batting order. Young catcher Francisco Alvarez is completely lost at the plate and it seems to be affecting his defense. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo is not himself as he battles through plantar fasciitis in his left foot. And Jose Iglesias has seemingly lost his clutch-hitting ability in this series.
However, in an understandable but risky show of loyalty, Mendoza revealed that he does not plan on making any notable changes to the New York Mets lineup in Game 4 of the NLCS versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York Mets manager won’t bench struggling hitters like Francisco Alvarez in Game 4 of NLCS
The manager confirmed Alvarez will not be benched despite hitting .143 with 13 strikeouts in the postseason. Furthermore, Nimmo and Iglesias are unlikely to be replaced by veterans Jesse Winker or Jeff McNeil since he believes they offer a better matchup against projected Game 4 Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“The guys that are in [the locker room] got us to this point. And I’m pretty confident that they’ll come through,” Mendoza said on Wednesday night. “We’re creating traffic and we haven’t been able to come up with the big hit. But I’ll continue to take my chances with my guys.”
Mets fans will quickly find out if that is the right decision with the teams making an immediate turnaround for Game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday at 8:08 PM ET on FS1.
Related: 6 takeaways following Los Angeles Dodgers’ NLCS Game 3 win against New York Mets