Dodgers' NLCS performance against Mets is everything we wanted from the Phillies
The Dodgers took care of business in the NLCS, doing what the Phillies should have been capable of.
The sting of an early falling out in the postseason is still fresh on the minds of Philadelphia and still leaves us with unanswered questions about what exactly could have been different. The Philadelphia Phillies fell to the New York Mets in the NLDS which won them a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The Dodgers would go on to win 4-2 in one of the strangest playoff series you'll ever see. The Mets won two games, but no game finished with less than a four run lead and the first lead change came in the first inning of Game 6. The Dodgers outscored New York 46-26 and set the all-time postseason round record in runs scored.
Dodgers' NLCS performance against Mets is everything we wanted from the Phillies
The Dodgers found the gaping holes in the Mets plan coming in and didn't let off the gas. Per StatMuse, in six games, they batted .268 with a combined .854 OPS. They mashed 11 home runs and the biggest kicker was their offense's ability to take what the Mets' pitching offered them. The Dodgers walked 42 times and repeatedly extended innings for players like Shohei Ohtani who is 19 for his last 24 with RISP, dating back to Sept. 19.
The Phillies had the chance to do something similar but didn't take the approach at the plate they desperately needed to. They scored just 12 runs in four games while batting .186 with a .597 OPS, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. They did walk 16 times to get runners on base but couldn't break through. An offense that was built to stifle opposing pitching only mustered six extra-base hits in the NLDS. In contrast, the Dodgers popped off for 18 in the NLCS and put the games away with relative ease.
The Phillies' bullpen finished with an 11.37 ERA against the Mets. The same annoying Mets that were blown out in four of six games in their NLCS matchup. Against the Dodgers., the Mets' offense lost the magic they hoped would carry them through the rest of October.
The black magic that surrounded New York only came as a lack of focus and execution on the side of the Phillies. Once the smoke cleared and the dust settled, this Phillies team realized that it easily could have been them having that dance with a chance at another World Series title.
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