Mets vs. Parents: what you need to know for the decisive clash

The first weekend of the MLB Wild Card Series concludes with a decisive game: the San Diego Padres against the New York Mets.

The playoffs expanded to 12 teams for the 2022 postseason: four best-of-three series to determine which teams will advance to the ALDS (against the Houston Astros or New York Yankees) and the NLDS (against the Atlanta Braves or Los Angeles).

Well, all but one of the wild card series ended in a sweep. The Cleveland Guardians swept the Tampa Bay Rays and will face the Yankees in the next round. The Seattle Mariners swept the Toronto Blue Jays and will face the Astros. And the Philadelphia Phillies will face the Braves after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals.St. Louis Cardinals.

So who will play the Dodgers? We’ll find out tonight.


Series tied 1-1

Padres Opener: Joe Musgrove (10-7, 184 K, 2.93 ERA)

Mets starter: Chris Bassett (15-9, 167 K, 3.42 ERA)

what to pay attention to: It all comes down to Bassitt vs. Musgrove for a chance to go to the NLDS and take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York will need a strong start from Bassitt, but the big question will be which version of the Mets’ lineup will face the Padres on Sunday. In Game 1, they left eight runners on base, scoring just one run on a solo home run by Edward Escobar in view of Yu Darvish. The offense looked completely different in Game 2, with contributions from the entire lineup, highlighted by home runs from Peter Alonso Y Francis Lindor. The Mets’ offense has been ranked among the best in baseball all season, but recently it has struggled at key moments.

The Padres need a big performance from Musgrove, who made a start against the Mets this season, allowing four runs in 5⅓ innings pitched in an 8-5 loss. Just as important will be the bullpen. After what Blake Snell came out of Game 2, having allowed two runs on six walks, five strikeouts and four hits in 3⅓ innings, the Padres’ bullpen was unable to keep things close after Nick Martinez served Alonso’s go-ahead home run. The Padres ranked 14th in baseball in bullpen ERA, and the star reliever Josh Hader he struggled arriving in San Diego at the trade deadline, posting a 7.31 ERA in 16 innings pitched. The Padres’ bullpen could be a big weak point for Game 3, especially if the Mets’ Game 2 bats stick around for Game 3. –Joon Lee


The experts answer

read: Bassitt bounces back from his struggles during last Sunday’s pressure-filled loss to the Atlanta Braves and gets off to a strong start, with the Mets getting enough production from the top of their lineup to get past the Padres in a tight game From the beginning. Mets 4, Padres 2.

Bradford Doolittle: After the Padres split the starts of Max Scherzer/Jacob deGrom, the lead in the pitching matchup tips in his favor with Musgrove against Bassitt. The Padres have Hader fresh and resting for Sunday. Padres 4, Mets 2.

Alden Gonzalez: Bassitt was made to pitch in New York, made to thrive at times like these. With everything on the line, he will lead a frenzied home crowd to a close victory over Musgrove. Mets 3, Padres 1.

Jeff Passan: In a hands-on game, I go with the team with the best hands: New York. The Bassitt-Musgrove matchup is somewhat of a neutral, which leaves the bullpens. The one in New York is a little better, although a new Hader against Edwin Diaz with 28 pitches (the last time he faced that many in a row was in June 2018) he’s a bit scary for the Mets. In the end, the depth of his lineup prevails. Mets 3, Padres 2.

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Mets vs. Parents: what you need to know for the decisive clash