3 adjustments Carlos Mendoza must make to save the Mets' season

The New York Mets were riding high just a couple of days ago, having snatched Game 2 of the NLCS on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers and heading back home for three games at what promised to be a raucous Citi Field. It seemed like one of the most improbable postseason runs in recent memory might take the team all the way to its first World Series appearance since 2015.

Now, though, the Mets are simply trying to keep that run alive. Two lopsided losses — combined score: 20-2 — have put the Dodgers firmly in control of this series, and left New York with its back against the wall entering a must-win Game 5 on Friday night. Just about everything that could go wrong, did go wrong in Games 3 and 4: The rotation that had been so sturdy in October finally cracked, while the bullpen's lack of depth got exposed and the offense went quiet. Which leaves Carlos Mendoza with plenty of work to do as he searches for answers that might save his team's season.

To be clear, Mendoza has been far from blameless over the past couple of days, not manging with nearly enough urgency in everything from his lineup construction to his bullpen management. What does he have to do to help the Mets stave off elimination? Here are three places to start.

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3. Put your hottest hitters in the lineup

It sounds basic, but it's been a surprisingly difficult rule for Mendoza to follow in this series. The core of Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte has remained the same, but outside of those five, there have been some truly puzzling lineup decisions, particularly in Games 3 and 4. Despite two right-handed pitchers on the mound, Mendoza chose to sit two of his best lefties (DH Jesse Winker and second baseman Jeff McNeil) in favor of a pair of veteran righties (JD Martinez and Jose Iglesias) who haven't hit for weeks. He doubled down on that decision despite a shutout in Game 3, and even went one step further, swapping in the light-hitting Harrison Bader for Tyrone Taylor in center.

Overall, the impression is of manager treating the biggest games of the season like they're a weekend in mid-June. Mendoza needs to realize that the only thing that matters in the postseason is winning the next game, and there's no time for a skipper to be worried about snapping players out of slumps or deferring to past track record. It's understandable to want to get Martinez going, but New York simply doesn't have the luxury of waiting and seeing. They need to put out the strongest lineup this moment has to offer, and that certainly includes Winker, McNeil and Taylor.

2. Have a quicker hook with your starters

Speaking of a lack of urgency: Would someone like to inform Mendoza that it is in fact allowed for a manager to pull his starter before facing a lineup for the third time? Jose Quintana clearly did not have it in Game 4, and yet Mendoza let his lefty face Shohei Ohtani and the top of the order for a third time in the top of the fourth inning. The result? A walk to Ohtani, followed promptly by a two-run double by Mookie Betts that broke the game wide open. (Mendoza did the same thing with Luis Severino in Game 3, as the righty gave up a hit to Freddie Freeman and a walk to Max Muncy before his bullpen bailed him out of a jam.)

Again, trying to stretch your starter for an extra inning or two is a requirement over the course of a long regular season. But these are all must-win games for the Mets, and Mendoza is acting like he can afford to risk giving up an extra run or two. New York's bullpen doesn't inspire a ton of confidence — more on that in a minute — but we have years and years of evidence supporting the fact that a pitcher facing a lineup for the third time becomes about as (if not more) ineffective than a replacement-level reliever. With David Peterson getting the ball in Game 5, Mendoza has to be far more willing to have a quick hook.

1. Be more aggressive with your best relievers

And when he does make a change, he has to be willing to call on his high-leverage relief options far earlier in the game. Game 4 got busted open when Mendoza pulled Quintana for righty Jose Butto, a lower-leverage option who has very little experience coming into messy situations in crucial games. Butto, predictably, gave up a double to Betts, a key inflection point in turning a 3-2 game into a 10-2 rout.

In fairness to Mendoza, the Mets aren't long on trustworthy relievers right now. Still, save for maybe Edwin Diaz, there's no use saving bullets for the seventh or eighth inning when the game could very well be decided in the fourth or fifth. Why not use, say, Ryne Stanek to get out of that jam, rather than waiting to maybe need him the next time the top of the Dodgers order comes around? Mendoza needs to treat Game 5 — and Games 6 and 7, if the Mets can make it that far — on an inning-by-inning basis, rather than worrying about too far down the road.