Mets Not in Dodgers Class as LA Dominates Game 3 of NLCS

 The New York Mets are really up against the proverbial wall now. Yes, Game 3 was only one of potentially seven games in the 2024 NLCS, but the LA Dodgers came to Citi Field and made a huge statement that the National League, and likely this series is there's for the taking.

When Kike Hernandez crushed a Reed Garrett pitch, and deposited it over left-center field wall to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, you knew Game 3 was all but over.

Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy then put the series itself in question when they launched pitches to the moon. Ohtani's homer skied the top of the right field foul pole, and Muncy's homer landed in the second row of the upper deck. Just like that the scoreboard read Dodgers 8 - Mets 0.

Mets owner Steve Cohen once said when he purchased the team that he wants the Mets to one day emulate the Dodgers and their current run of success. It's clear that the Amazin's have a long way to go to catch them. 

For the second time in this series, LA blanked the Mets, who outside of home runs by Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos, have done very little with the bats.

The Mets had only four hits on Wednesday, and left eight men on base. In the three games the Mets are 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and have stranded 23 men on base.

Shohei Ohtani homers. Getty Images. 

Pete Alonso is 1-for-11; Brandon Nimmo is 1-for-10, and Francisco Alvarez is 1-for-9 in this series. That's a lot of missing offense from key contributors.

Worse off is the pitching. The Mets walked seven batters on Wednesday. Four of those walks were issued by starter Luis Severino who only lasted 4.2 innings. Tylor Megill got lit up, allowing the two late inning bombs and walking three.

The Mets will start Jose Quintana, who has been both good and bad at times this year. He's has been great lately in the postseason, and the Mets need him to continue that tonight. But one thing is clear the Dodgers have all the momentum pointing in their direction.

There is a reason why the Dodgers won 98 games this year, and were pound for pound the most consistent team in baseball all year. If the Mets aren't careful, LA could be celebrating their fourth trip to the World Series in the last eight seasons on the grounds of Citi Field come Friday.

The goal for the Mets right now is survival, and to prevent an LA celebration at Citi Field. Win a game, and force this series back to LA.