When is Mets vs. Dodgers NLCS Game 2? Date, time and statements

LOS ANGELES – As the Mets head into Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday afternoon hoping to return home with a series split and momentum on their side, the Dodgers know they can scuttle those plans if they simply don’t have one Allow run.

Easy, right? Los Angeles will snap a major league record-tying streak of 33 scoreless innings in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. If the Mets don’t find a way to get it done, they’ll end up in a much deeper hole.

“It’s going to be a long series, so we’ve just got to keep going out there and keep fighting and compete with the same confidence,” Mets outfielder Starling Marte said through an interpreter. “The motivation of this team and the energy is still there.”

The Dodgers’ Game 1 win gave them a clear, but not insurmountable, advantage over the Mets in this best-of-seven series. In the current 2-3-2 format, teams that won Game 1 at home, like the Dodgers, have won the series 67% of the time.

This Mets team has certainly come back from worse, beating the favored Braves to clinch a playoff spot in their 161st game and then upsetting two division champions, the Brewers and Phillies, in the first two rounds of the playoffs .

“It’s still a really good team over there,” Dodgers Game 1 starter Jack Flaherty said. “We’re going to have fun tonight, but we have a quick turnaround.”

If the Mets want to even the series, they will have to do so against Los Angeles’ vaunted relief pitchers. The Dodgers plan to counter Mets starter Sean Manaea with a bullpen game, which has become their specialty this postseason.

“Just because it isn’t [traditional] “Starter doesn’t mean we won’t have a big league game,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “They have a really good team on the other side and they feel comfortable enough to go out and bring their bullpen because they have a good bullpen. So we have to learn from today, come back tomorrow and put it all together.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Game 2:

When does the game take place and how can I watch it?
Game 2 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium is currently airing on FOX and FS1.

All games are available in the US on MLB.TV (requires authentication with a participating pay-TV provider). Live games are also available in select countries outside the US. Detailed information can be found here.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Mets: LHP Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA in regular season)
Manaea has been the Mets’ best starter since giving up his arm spot in late July. He finished the regular season with a 3.09 ERA in his final 12 games and maintained that success with a 2.25 mark in two postseason starts. His last effort, a seven-inning, one-run performance in NLDS Game 3, was perhaps the most impactful of his career.

Manaea held the Dodgers to two runs over five innings in their only meeting this season, redeeming themselves from a long history of struggles against them. He called his start in Game 2 another opportunity to “go out there and prove again” that he was a different, better pitcher at this point in his career.

Dodgers: RHP Ryan Brasier
Brasier will open again for the Dodgers, who last used a bullpen game in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Padres and it worked out perfectly with nine shutout innings. Brasier pitched 1 1/3 innings in that contest, striking out one.

What are the starting lineups?
Mets: Manager Carlos Mendoza’s day-to-day lineup decisions are becoming more interesting now that Jeff McNeil is healthy, but McNeil, who served as a pinch-hitter in Game 1, was not in the lineup. Mendoza singled out Jesse Winker over JD Martinez at DH for the second straight game, as the Mets face a team that doesn’t have as many left-handed pitchers as the Brewers and Phillies.

Dodgers: Things are a little different for the Dodgers as they face their first starting left tackle this postseason. Freddie Freeman was moved down to clean up while Teoscar Hernández slid to the three-hole. Andy Pages got the start in center field and Kiké Hernández singled out lefty Gavin Lux at second base. Manager Dave Roberts said Lux, whose hip flexor was strained in Game 1, was ready for a pinch hit.

How will the bullpens be lined up according to each team’s starter?
Mets: David Peterson’s strong outing in Game 1 will keep him out of the game for at least Game 2 and possibly even beyond if the Mets plan to rely on him for significant innings in a possible Game 5. Aside from Peterson, the Mets have at least avoided using their other high-leverage options in Game 1. Closer Edwin Díaz should be available for more than one inning in Game 2, and the Mets can also rely on the setup when faced with big workloads -Relievers Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton leave.

Dodgers: After Jack Flaherty gave LA seven dominant innings in Game 1, the Dodgers should have every weapon available from the bullpen. Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen will be tasked with starting against the middle of the Mets’ lineup. Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier and Daniel Hudson give LA some other quality options in relief. If the Dodgers need multiple innings from a reliever, they have Landon Knack, Ben Casparius and Brent Honeywell Jr. available.

Any notable injuries?
Mets: Although McNeil hasn’t seen much live pitching since breaking his right wrist on Sept. 6, he has made 10 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League. Mendoza said McNeil’s contact approach lends itself well to a successful return despite a recent lack of reps. In any case, McNeil is fully healthy and capable of contributing if the Mets call him.

Nimmo announced after Game 1 that he was suffering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but indicated that it would not keep him out of the lineup.

None of the Mets’ seven players on the injured list – Paul Blackburn, Christian Scott, Dedniel Núñez, Sean Reid-Foley, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley and Ronny Mauricio – will return this year.

Dodgers: Freeman continues to battle a severe right ankle sprain and will continue to be a game-changing decision before every game. Lux left Game 1 with hip strain and may be unavailable for Game 2.

Who’s hot and who’s not?
Mets: The only hits in Game 1 came from the bottom half of the lineup. Notably, the Dodgers managed to shake off Lindor, Vientos and Alonso, who they had carried during the NL Division Series. Vientos had its streak of four straight multi-hit games snapped, and Nimmo failed to reach base for the first time since September 28.

Dodgers: Kiké Hernández continued to build on his postseason legend, scoring two more goals in Game 1. Betts also had a strong postseason, delivering the final hit in Game 1, a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning. On the other hand, the Dodgers could use a little more production from Smith, who has struggled at the plate in recent months.

Is there anything else fans would like to know?
• This is the fourth postseason meeting between the Mets and Dodgers, dating back to an NLCS win for Los Angeles in 1988 that is still considered one of the greatest postseason series. The Mets got revenge in the 2006 NLDS by defeating the Dodgers and again in 2015 with a highly entertaining NLDS win.

• While the Mets led Major League Baseball with a 67-40 record from May 30 through the end of the season, the Dodgers weren’t far behind at 62-42. Both finished in the top five in the MLB during that time.

• Keep an eye on Betts, who doubled for three runs in the eighth inning of Game 1 and has owned Manaea over the years. In 32 career at-bats against the left-handed hitter, Betts has posted a .313/.371/.781 slash line with two doubles, two triples and three home runs.