Jesse Winker’s baserunning blunder cost Mets lone chance for rally in NLCS Game 1

Just when it looked like the Mets would finally stage a rally in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, they ran themselves out of a potential big inning.

After Jesse Winker led off the fifth inning with their first hit of the game, and Jose Iglesias followed with a single, the Mets seemed set up at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night.

Except Winker for some reason hesitated between second and third, and was thrown out.

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It looked like he would’ve made it to third base rather easily had he not stopped running.

Iglesias’ single was hit into shallow left-center field. But Winker froze and was gunned down.

The next batter, Tyrone Taylor, flew out to right field.

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It would’ve been a sacrifice fly and cut into the Dodgers’ 6-0 lead.

It highlighted a poor showing from the Mets against Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty.

Jesse Winker gets caught in no mans land 😬 pic.twitter.com/uMych5I8Jc

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They managed just two singles against Flaherty, who struggled in his first playoff start. The Mets gambled by starting Kodai Senga and it didn’t work.

He gave up two first-inning runs, a foreboding sign of the opener of the NLCS.

The Dodgers have now thrown 30 consecutive shutout innings going back to the final two games of the NLDS against the Padres.

Of course, with the way the Mets hit Sunday night, it might not have mattered who started this game.

They’re going to need to be better moving forward.

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