The New York Mets are riding high these days. They’re up 2-0 in the National League Championship Series, and they’re headed to Chicago for a Game 3 matchup that features their ace pitcher, Jacob DeGrom. Second baseman Daniel Murphy has been crushing the ball left and right, and has homered in four straight games. All signs point to the Mets taking the National League pennant.
But hey, not so fast. This Chicago Cubs team has a lot of sluggers, and they were better than the Mets over the course of the 162-game season. The Cubs are sure to put up a serious fight within the friendly confines of their own Wrigley Field, so the Mets will need to play just a bit better to keep on beating them. Here are three players in particular who need to step up their games.
1B Lucas Duda
Lucas Duda has been dismal in this postseason. He’s hitting an embarrassing .095/.174/.095 in the playoffs. He’s managed just two hits and two walks in 21 at-bats. Dude is ice cold, and he’s swinging for the fences instead of trying to put the ball in play. It’s an easy enough problem to diagnose, but a hard one to fix.
But Duda needs to find a solution, and quick. He’s the Mets’ only real option at first, though they’ve experimented with putting OF Michael Cuddyer in that spot to improve their lineup. The only ideal solution is for Duda to step up and start hitting. Where is the power hitter than the Mets have seen at various points this year?
SP Steven Matz
Matz has been pretty good this postseason. But this isn’t a list of underperforming players who need to improve, it’s a list of players that need to step up. And the Mets really need Matz to step up.
Matz’s only appearance this season – a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers – lasted five innings and saw him give up six hits and three earned runs. That’s not the end of the world, but he may have to do better against the Cubs.
Whatever happens in Jacob DeGrom’s start in Game 3, Matz’s game is vital. If Matz can win against Jason Hammel, the Mets will either clinch the pennant or go up 3-1, depending on how DeGrom’s game went. If Matz loses, the Cubs get a winnable stretch of games at a crucial time: Matt Harvey may miss Game 5 due to an injury, and the Cubs will likely start Jon Lester; Game 6 will force the Mets to reckon with ace Jake Arrieta again; and in Game 7, anything can happen.
3B David Wright
Wright’s struggles are not as profound as Duda’s, because Wright is getting on base via the walk. But Wright’s relatively decent .276 OBP and six walks aren’t the whole story. When it comes to putting the ball in play, Wright as been just as bad as Duda – in fact, his .087 batting average is actually a little worse than Lucas’. Wright has waited nine years to get back in the postseason, but he’s playing like he’s nine years past his prime.
The good news for Wright is that he’s going to see some decent pitches. The heart of the Mets order includes slugger Yoenis Cespedes and the red-hot Daniel Murphy, so pitchers aren’t exactly going to shy away from giving a .087 hitter a fastball. It’s time for David Wright to do something with the pitches he’s seeing.
