NLCS Game 2: Mark Vientos grand slam launches Mets past Dodgers to tie series 1-1

The Dodgers threatened in the ninth, but the Mets held on for a 7-3 win to tie the NLCS at 1-1.

Andy Pages led off the inning with a single, and closer Edwin Diaz walked Shohei Ohtani to put two men on with no outs. Then Diaz struck out Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman to secure the victory.

The Mets added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a Starling Marte single that scored Pete Alonso. Edwin Diaz returns to the mound in the bottom of the ninth with his Mets holding a 7-3 lead and a chance to tie the series at 1-1.

The Mets kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard in the eighth, leaving the Dodgers down to their last three outs. Ryne Stanek induced a groundout from Freddie Freeman, then got a nice play from Brandon Nimmo to record the second out on a Will Smith line drive to left field.

Tommy Edman then reached on a single to center field, and Max Muncy reached on a two-out walk, ending Stanek's day. Closer Edwin Diaz came in for the final out and induced a flyout from Kiké Hernández to end the inning with no damage.

We head to the top of the ninth with the Mets holding a 6-3 lead.

Brent Honeywell Jr. gave the Dodgers three scoreless innings in relief to keep the Mets within striking distance, but that sixth-inning rally — the one that ended prematurely, with Enrique Hernandez grounding into a double play with the bases loaded — might have been Los Angeles’ best chance to get back into this game.

We’ll see if the Dodgers are able to turn the lineup over one more time before the end of the game. At the very least, it seems likely we’ll see Edwin Diaz in this one for New York, unless the Mets can add several more insurance runs.

Edgardo Henriquez took over on the mound for the Dodgers and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. The Dodgers will look to cut into their 6-3 deficit with Freddie Freeman leading off the bottom of the eighth.

Ryne Stanek got the job done after taking over for Phil Maton. He struck out Mookie Betts on three pitches, then induced a groundout from Teoscar Hernandez to strand Shohei Ohtani on first and end the inning unscathed. We head to the eighth with the Mets holding a 6-3 lead.

The Mets are making another pitching change with one out and one on in the bottom of the seventh and a 6-3 lead. Phil Maton walked Shohei Ohtani with one out and is leaving the game in favor of Ryne Stanek. Stanek will need to get two outs with Mookie Betts and Tesocar Hernandez up next for the Dodgers.

Brent Honeywell remained on the mound for a third inning in the seventh. He allowed a double to Starling Marte, but no other baserunners. He ended the inning with a swinging strikeout of Jose Iglesias. The Mets hold a 6-3 lead heading into the seventh-inning stretch.

Phil Maton took over for Sean Manaea on the mound with the bases loaded and no outs and immediately induced a popout from Will Smith. But Tommy Edman delivered in the next at-bat with a two-run single into right field.

Maton then walked Max Muncy to load the bases but got a big double-play ball from Kiké Hernández to end the inning with no further damage. The Mets challenged the double play, but officials upheld both outs on replay review. Mets lead 6-3 after six innings.

Sean Manea's day is done. The Mets starter loaded the bases on two walks and an error with no outs in the bottom of the sixth and leaves the game with a 6-1 lead intact — but under fire.

Manaea induced a would-be double-play ball from Freddie Freeman with runners on first and second, but Jose Iglesias bobbled it for an error and loaded bases.

Brent Honeywell got a double-play and a lineout in the top of the sixth to keep the Mets from adding to their lead. Mets maintain a 6-1 lead in the sixth inning.

Crisis averted in the Dodgers dugout. Los Angeles pitcher Brent Honeywell almost stepped on a snake at the top of the dugout steps between innings. Thankfully for Honeywell and the snake, he saw it and avoided stepping on it. Here's hoping our hero staffer found a safe home for the snake.

New York's shutout is no more. Max Muncy hit a leadoff home run off of Sean Manaea in the fifth to cut the Mets' lead to 6-1. The Mets got out of the frame with no further damage. A lot of work left to do for the Dodgers, but the homer provided the first reason for home fans to cheer in Game 2.

Brent Honeywell took the mound for a scoreless fifth inning as the fourth Dodgers pitcher of the day. He put two men on with a walk and a hit-by-pitch but didn't allow a run. Mets maintain a 6-0 lead in the fifth.

Sean Manaea is cruising. He's up to four shutout innings with a 1-2-3 fourth. Mets lead 6-0 heading into the fifth.

Anthony Banda took the mound as the third Dodgers pitcher of the day in the fourth inning. He allowed a single to Mark Vientos but pitched an otherwise clean inning to keep the Mets from extending their 6-0 lead. Banda had to work, though. He needed 18 pitches to get through the inning, including an 11-pitch strikeout of Pete Alonso.

As good as this Dodgers lineup is, this six-run deficit is going to be tough to overcome for two reasons. For one, Mets starter Sean Manaea looks awfully sharp so far, with Shohei Ohtani in particular looking uncharacteristically perplexed by Manaea’s unusual arm angle, as seen in his two fairly noncompetitive strikeouts in his first two at-bats.

In addition to trying to solve Manaea at the plate, it might be a challenge for this lower tier of Dodgers relievers to keep the Mets from adding on the rest of the way, so that six-run gap could grow further.

The biggest question now is not necessarily whether the Dodgers can come back but how long Manaea can go. If he can complete another seven frames, as he did last round against Philadelphia, and limit the number of looks the L.A. bats get of the Mets’ top-tier relievers, that could prove beneficial for New York later in the series — perhaps in a higher-leverage spot that we’ve yet to see over these first two games.

Sean Manaea struck out Shohei Ohtani for a second time in a 1-2-3 bottom of the third that also got Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez out. Manaea's up to six strikeouts in three scoreless innings. Mets still lead 6-0.

The Mets loaded the bases for the second time in two innings against Landon Knack. This time, there was no grand slam. Knack gets out of the jam with a two-out Francisco Alvarez flyout, and the Mets maintain a 6-0 lead in the third inning.

The Dodgers got two baserunners in the second but failed to score off Sean Manaea. The Mets maintain a 6-0 lead after two innings.

The Dodgers intentionally walked Francisco Lindor to load the bases with two outs in the second inning. Mark Vientos made them pay, launching a grand slam over the center-field wall off Landon Knack to blow the game open with a 6-0 Mets lead.

Vientos hit the home run on a 95-mph fastball over the plate after battling to a full count. The Dodgers' scoreless innings streak has come to a dramatic halt.

The Dodgers have already made a change on the mound for Monday's bullpen game. Brian Frasier is done after giving up a leadoff home run in the first inning. Landon Knack took over for the second and immediately got into trouble.

Knack allowed a leadoff single and walk in the top of the second to put two men on with no outs. Tyrone Taylor then scored Starling Marte with a two-out single to extend New York's lead to 2-0.

Sean Manaea walked Teoscar Hernandez but pitched an otherwise clean first inning with strikeouts of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. Mets lead 1-0 after one inning.

The Dodgers were one inning away from claiming a new postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Before Lindor's home run, they hadn't allowed a run since the second inning of Game 3 against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

They followed that with three consecutive shutouts, including Sunday's 9-0 win over the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS, for a streak of 33 consecutive scoreless innings. That tied an MLB postseason record, but Lindor's home run ensured that they wouldn't set a new record.

Ryan Brasier limited the damage to one run, and we go to the bottom of the ninth with the Mets holding a 1-0 lead.

The shutout streak is over. Francisco Lindor led off the top of the first inning with a solo home run off of Dodgers starter Ryan Brasier. The run is the first allowed by the Dodgers in 33 postseason innings. New York takes an early 1-0 lead.

We're moments away from first pitch on an ideal day for baseball in Los Angeles. It's 72 and sunny at Dodger Stadium. Ryan Brasier is warming up on the mound for the top of the first inning.

Not relevant to today's game, but three-time Dodgers Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw said before Game 2 that he plans to return in 2025 for an 18th MLB season.

A scoreless first inning for Ryan Brasier would extend the Dodgers' streak of consecutive scoreless innings pitched to 34 this postseason, which would be an MLB record. The Dodgers haven't allowed a run since the second inning of Game 3 against the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

The Dodgers have pitched three consecutive shutouts, including Sunday's Game 1 win over the Mets. That adds up to 33 consecutive scoreless innings, which is tied for the longest postseason streak in MLB history. One more inning, and the record will belong to the Dodgers alone.

Reliever Ryan Brasier will get the start on the mound for the Dodgers in a bullpen game. The decision means that Walker Buehler is projected to start Game 3 in New York.

Here's the Dodgers' Game 2 lineup, with Teoscar Hernández moving to third in the order and Freddie Freeman batting cleanup:

The Mets will start Sean Manaea on the mound as they seek to tie the series after losing Game 1. Manaea pitched seven one-run innings in New York's Game 3 win over the Phillies in the NLDS.

New York's Game 2 lineup: