The Mets crushed the Dodgers in Game 3 on Monday.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) glances at Los Angeles Dodgers’ Chase Utley (26) as the crowd boos Utley during baseline introductions for baseball’s Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the New York Mets, Monday, October 12, 2015, in New York.
“You could tell he was special from Day 1”, Collins said once, and a few years ago he compared Harvey to him in terms of work ethic and desire to be great. “That’s a tall order for anybody, any team”.
David Wright greeting Yoenis Cespedes after Cespedes’ homer in the fourth inning Monday night at Citi Field.
But now Utley finds himself in the middle of baseball’s hottest controversy after his hard takeout slide broke New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada’s right leg on Saturday night. “We need to worry about winning….” The appeal meant the penalty could not start until after a hearing and a decision.
Nothing was out of reach of the fun, not even the normally banal routine of pregame introductions safe from the heat of the moment, with the lengthy cascade of boos for the villain Utley eclipsed only by the soaring waves of applause for his victim. The Dodgers’ lead was gone and it quickly faded from memory as the Mets piled up more offense.
Matt Harvey takes the mound for the Mets this evening, which gives the Mets the advantage as Brett Anderson is taking the mound for the Dodgers.
“For us it was to stay focused, go out and let our play do all the talking”, he said. “And all that stuff will be resolved later”.
Meanwhile, Tejada raised his fist to a rousing ovation when he was introduced in full uniform alongside teammates.
“I was trying to put a body on him to try to break up a double play”, said Utley after Game 2.
Singles by Justin Turner, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford loaded the bases in the second inning. Beltre exited Game 1 with lower back stiffness and didn’t return until he was a late addition for Game 4, where he hit two singles and a deep fly out despite clearly still having issues.
Cespedes singled and d’Arnaud homered in the bottom of the inning, opening the Mets’ lead to 6-3. D’Arnaud’s RBI single – just his eighth hit in his last 57 at-bats – was the third of four straight singles to open the frame. Only a three-run home run by Howie Kendrick in the ninth inning cut into the party mood at Citi Field. Before Monday’s game, the manager received a reminder when he and general manager Sandy Alderson, along with the Dodgers’ Don Mattingly and Andrew Friedman, met with Rob Manfred, baseball’s commissioner, to be assured that both sides understood tranquility was desired.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Mybookie.ag, the Mets are -170 money line favorites versus the Dodgers, who have odds of +155 to pull off the upset.
New York finished 3-for-8 with five RBIs when swinging at the first pitch.
“If we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down with our two horses”, catcher Yasmani Grandal said. I just wasn’t able to string together enough outs.
Anderson took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out three over three innings.
So the Mets chose to play the long game. He’s an intense guy who never smiled on the field, but he displayed rare emotion when he thanked fans after he was traded to Los Angeles.
And now, for the second consecutive postseason, the Dodgers find themselves down two games to one in a best-of-five NLDS. Oakland A’s INF Mark Kiger did it in 2006. Dodgers INF Chase Utley has been hit by a pitch 179 times, most among active players.
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Even though Reynolds has no major league experience and was not on the 40-man roster, the Mets tabbed him as insurance because they had no other healthy options who are comfortable at shortstop.
