Mets & Senga Fall Flat in NLCS Opener, Blanked 9-0

 DODGERS 9 - METS 0 (LA Leads Series 1-0) 

The New York Mets didn't get off the mat Sunday night in Los Angeles, falling behind early as Kodi Senga imploded, and the offense was held in check in a disappointing 9-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers out at Dodgers Stadium in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. 

The Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza rolled the dice on starting Senga for the second time this postseason, and only the second time since coming off the I.L. where he spent the entire second half of the year recovering from a hamstring tear. The decision to pitch him proved fatal in Game 1. 

Senga didn't have it. 

Getty Images.

After getting fellow countryman, Shohei Ohtani to ground out for the first out, Senga lost control of the strike zone. He walked the next three batters to face him, and got lucky as Will Smith's fly ball to center wasn't deep enough for Mookie Betts to score on a sac fly. 

Still the Dodgers made Senga pay moments later when veteran Max Muncy lined a two-run single to right-center, scoring Betts and Freddie Freeman to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. 

They would never look back. 

When Senga was finally removed in the bottom of the second inning, he left charged with three runs and four walks in an inning and a third. The gamble didn't pay off the way it did in Game of the NLDS against Philadelphia. 

After Reed Garret worked his way through trouble over the next inning and a third, David Peterson got lit up in the fourth inning, as the Dodgers broke the game wide open in a three-run rally to make it 6-0. 

The game at this point was virtually over. 

The Mets' bats were silent all night, as Dodgers righty Jake Flaherty was brilliant. He held the Mets to just two hits over seven innings of shutout baseball. In fact he carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He was that on-point for the Dodgers, that it became evident that it wouldn't have mattered who started on the hill for the Mets, they couldn't touch Flaherty. 

The Mets face a must-win Game 2 on Monday afternoon. Sean Manaea who many fans wanted to see start Game 1, will get the ball for the Amazin's. The Dodgers are likely going with a bullpen game themselves. 

If the Mets can get Game 2 and leave LA at 1-1, Mets fans will feel a lot better about their chances to comeback in this series. 

NOTE: While losing Game 1 is never fatal, it certainly helps to win it. More times than not the winner of Game 1 of a playoff series sees their chances of winning a series only increase. However when the Mets are involved in an NLCS, that's a different proposition. Of their previous eight appearances in the League Championship Series, the winner of Game 1 has only won half of those series. So, I guess that means there's always a chance.