With Clayton Kershaw and Jacob deGrom matched up against one another, Game 1 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Mets figured to be a classic pitching standoff. But deep down, you probably would have expected Kershaw to emerge as the better ace, right? He’s the best pitcher in MLB.
You would have been wrong.
Kershaw and deGrom traded zeroes for the game’s first three innings, sending nearly every batter back to the dugout with a strikeout. But the defending NL Cy Young Award winner is the one that buckled first, serving up a home run to the Mets’ Daniel Murphy in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers still couldn’t break through against deGrom, failing to advance a runner past second base in seven innings. Their best chance at creating some offense seemed to be hitting a ball toward left field and Michael Cuddyer, who really had no business being in the outfield Friday night.
What’s the opposite of a web gem, Michael Cuddyer? #Mets https://t.co/AfJo1nmiAK
— Ian Casselberry (@iancass) October 10, 2015
Cuddyer couldn’t make up for that misplay with his bat either, going 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout.
Fortunately for the Mets, Kershaw ran out of juice in the seventh inning, walking Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada and Curtis Granderson to load the bases. That was enough for Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who pulled Kershaw from the game. Not leaving his best pitcher in the game to face David Wright was already a questionable decision, but Mattingly exacerbated the problem by bringing in Pedro Baez.
After battling to a full count of three balls and two strikes, Baez left a pitch out over the plate that Wright smacked up the middle for a single, scoring two runs to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.
Mets skipper Terry Collins had already decided to leave deGrom in the game during the seventh inning, having him sacrifice bunt rather than bring in a pinch-hitter to face Kershaw. With Wright adding to the lead, deGrom retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh, finishing off the inning with two more strikeouts. Altogether, the magnificently maned right-hander struck out 13 Dodgers batters, allowing five hits and one walk.
The Dodgers finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth against Tyler Clippard on a double by Howie Kendrick and run-scoring single from Adrian Gonzalez. That prompted Collins to bring in Jeurys Familia to pitch a four-out save, and the closer obliged by retiring all four batters he faced to seal a 3-1 victory for the Mets, as the road team wins yet again in the early 2015 postseason.
Giving up three runs in a Game 1 loss and being outmatched by deGrom will surely lend to the narrative that Kershaw isn’t as dominant in the postseason as he is during the regular season. Certainly, deGrom was the better pitcher Friday night and Kershaw had that bad seventh inning in which he walked three batters.
But Mattingly could also be faulted for choosing Baez out of the bullpen after he struggled in September (compiling a 4.76 ERA). Yimi Garcia or Chris Hatcher probably would have been a better option to face Wright with the bases loaded.
The Dodgers have to hope that Zack Greinke can give them a better effort in Game 2 on Saturday. Either that, or the lineup needs to score some runs against Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. First pitch is set for 9:07 p.m. ET and TBS has the telecast.