LOS ANGELES — Monday evening’s heavyweight bout against the Dodgers was the 60th game of the Mets’ season. In baseball terms, it’s barely the beginning.
They’re a little more than a third of the way through this 162-chapter epic. The trade deadline remains a ways away. The summer doldrums threaten. And there are going to be dozens of more boss battles just like this one: teams armed to the teeth with talent and purpose, and dead-set on taking down a squad that came into the day somewhat improbably tied for the best record in baseball.
I say improbably, because despite Steve Cohen’s billions, they’ve mostly done it without Juan Soto being the Juan Soto everyone expected, and a few other big bats still scuffling at the plate. They’ve ridden a rotation that was more-or-less written off as an afterthought at the beginning of the year, and after a 2-6 stretch late last month, it seemed like cracks were forming in this team’s foundation.
But then they took two of three against this Dodgers team last week, and did what they ought against the lowly White Sox and Rockies, keying them to a 7-2 homestand.
Which is why, despite the calendar telling us that it’s only early June, this four-game set seems so big. The season is just beginning in earnest, yes, but it was impossible for the Mets to enter Dodger Stadium and not remember the end.
After all, this is where Francisco Alvarez grounded out to second base, concluding one of the 2024 season’s most improbable stories. The team that was once 11-games under .500, came a few breaths away from the World Series.
“It was kind of a sour taste,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of coming back here. “But also, understanding after everything we went through as a team and we get to the NLCS when nobody thought anything about this [us], and we ended up facing the team that ended up winning the World Series.
“There’s a different feeling this year — understanding that they’re a really good team, [but] we’re also really good. It’s mixed feelings but we’re not trying to look back now. We’re just concentrated on today, which is the most important thing — trying to go out there and win a baseball game and win the series.”
The Dodgers (36-23), of course, reloaded after their championship, and before the season even started, were a clear favorite to repeat. Words like “dynasty” were already being thrown around.
And frankly, their colossal walloping of a very good Yankees team in the first two games of last weekend’s three-game set further confirmed that. Even if the Mets (37-22) have the better record, the Dodgers’ firepower and pedigree means they continue to be the team to beat. They’ve done it with 15 pitchers currently on the injured list, including Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. And Shohei Ohtani, despite throwing live batting practice twice in the last week and a half, isn’t close to a return to the mound.
The Mets, meanwhile, are riding high after a three-game sweep of a Rockies team that, through 59 games, has fewer wins (nine) than 15 NFL teams had last season. For the first time since Soto signed that $765 million mega-contract, he, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor all went yard in a single game. Soto was 4-for-9 against the Rockies, with two homers, three RBIs and a double.
But the nature of their recent opponents makes you at least wonder if they can sustain their production, and the Dodgers are baseball’s perfect litmus test. Sure, their pitching (23rd in the league in ERA) leaves plenty to be desired, but that won’t be the case when their legion of injured returns. Their offense, meanwhile, will be a legitimate test for a Mets rotation that, despite their MLB-best 2.85 ERA, has shown some weak spots of late.
After Paul Blackburn’s start Monday, his first since returning from injury this year, the Mets line up Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and David Peterson. Megill and Canning, in particular, bear watching. After a strong start, Canning has walked eight in 5 2/3 innings over his last two games. In his last six starts, Megill has pitched to a 5.29 ERA with 16 walks in 29 innings, and has seen his overall ERA balloon from 1.09 to 3.10.
Their test? A Dodgers team that went into Monday leading the league in batting average and homers, and ranked fourth in baseball with a +80 run differential.
“We know they’re good,” Mendoza said. “We also know we’re good. It’s part of the schedule and we’re not trying to get ahead of ourselves or make too much out of it. We go out there and our job is to win a series here. We’ve got four against them and we’ll go from there. We’re good. They’re good. It’ll be fun.”
So yes, it’s early — so early, you have to scoff at the idea that this is a pivotal series. But while all the games count the same in September, knowing you’ve landed a few devastating blows in May and June might count a little extra in October.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
