Carlos Mendoza, Mets stay resolute as task gets tougher after lopsided Game 3 loss in NLCS

NEW YORK — For seven innings on Wednesday night, Mets fans were searching for the opening that has been ever-present throughout their team's dream postseason run.

Shohei Ohtani slammed those hopes shut in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

The crisp temperatures and a steady breeze made it a challenging objective to drive the ball out of Citi Field. That made Ohtani's blast all the more torturous.

Ohtani drove a dagger through the Mets' chances for a Game 3 stunner with a 410-foot, three-run blast over the right-field foul pole in a decisive 8-0 victory for the Dodgers in front of a sold-out crowd of 43,883 fans at Citi Field.

As the Dodgers' offense fired up for three home runs and 10 hits, the Mets were shut out for the second time in the NLCS, leaving eight runners on base and only collecting four hits against five Dodgers pitchers.

"The coaches have done an outstanding job of giving us all the information we need to be successful," said Francisco Lindor, who is 1-for-11 in the series, with the lone hit being his leadoff solo shot in Game 2.

"It’s not like we’re going up to the plate surprised with a new pitcher or somebody that we haven’t seen. We’re ready to compete. We have all the information that we need to be successful. The bottom line, it comes down to us executing."

Ohtani's blast off Tylor Megill was one of a trio surrendered by the Mets over the final four innings. Kike Hernandez boosted the Dodgers ahead by four runs on a two-run home run off Reed Garrett in the sixth. Max Muncy added a ninth-inning solo shot off Megill in the ninth.

Mets' backs up against the wall after Game 3 loss

For the first time in the month of October, Mets fans grew restless in Game 3.

After wasted chances and the Dodgers clawed across a couple of runs, the electric environment that had permeated through two wins over the Phillies in the National League Division Series dissipated.

And the Mets, who had grabbed an emotional Game 2 win in Los Angeles, saw control of the NLCS slip back away. They now trail the Dodgers, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series.

"This is nothing new," said Severino, who was dealt the loss after allowing two runs (none earned) on three hits and two walks in 4⅔ innings. "We just need to come back tomorrow and try to win that game. If we win two out of three here, that would be huge for us.

The Mets have thrived all season long with their backs up against the wall, but this might be their stiffest test yet against the team that posted the best record in baseball.

If the Mets want to advance to the World Series, that road will run back through Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. A result in Game 4 is now even more important.

"Pressure has been there since day one," Lindor said. "It’s one of those where you want to come out and win ball games, for sure. We want to win as many games as we can before we’re getting eliminated. Whether it’s here or at their place, we’ve got to win ball games."

Changes coming for the Mets lineup?

The Mets had a few early opportunities to give the Citi Field crowd something to cheer about, but came up empty.

In the second inning against Walker Buehler, the Mets loaded the bases with one out but Francisco Alvarez was frozen on fastball for a called third strike and Lindor waved through a low knuckle curve.

Alvarez has struggled mightily since the NLDS. At the plate, he's 4-for-28. He struck out looking three times on Wednesday, but Carlos Mendoza reasserted that Alvarez would be in the lineup for Game 4.

"I think offensively he's in between," Mendoza said. "I think he's late making his move, which is not allowing him to make some good swing decisions. That's why you see him at times taking the fastball or late on the fastball and then chasing."

In the sixth inning, the Mets, trailing 4-0, had two runners on and one out, but Jose Iglesias grounded into an inning-ending double play. Despite the return of Jeff McNeil from a wrist injury, Mendoza hinted that he would stick with Iglesias coming up with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Dodgers in Game 4.

"When you look at (Yamamoto's) numbers, his splits, he's reversed. He's been a lot better against lefties," Mendoza said. "I would anticipate our righties to be in the lineup tomorrow. The guys that are in there got us to this point. And I'm pretty confident they'll come through."

Another sloppy defensive game

With three MVPs at the top of their lineup, the Dodgers present a bold challenge.

Severino admitted as much on Wednesday, conceding that sometimes it is in a pitcher's best interest to walk Ohtani, Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman than try to "be a hero" in a hitter's count.

More importantly, it's imperative to be crisp on defense against the loaded lineup.

The Mets committed their fourth error of the series on Wednesday, and it led to the first two runs scoring after Alvarez attempted to throw out Muncy at second base on a swinging bunt from Teoscar Hernandez in the top of the second inning and the ball skipped away.

"I don't know if Iglesias would have caught that ball, he would be out," Mendoza said. "Maybe tried to do a little too much there."

Severino regretted his reactions on two comebackers to the mound in the same frame. On the first, with two runners on, he tried to quickly swivel to second base but couldn't handle the ball first and had to pivot and make the out at first. On the second, he couldn't make the play and a run scored.

The rough inning provided the Dodgers with the opening they needed to silence the crowd.

"I feel like my glove messed everything up in that inning there," Severino said.

With four errors in the first three games, including ones by Iglesias, Starling Marte and Pete Alonso, the Mets have allowed five unearned runs to score.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Carlos Mendoza, Mets stay resolute as task gets tougher after lopsided Game 3 loss in NLCS