4 Dodgers to blame after failing to push Mets to 0-2 deficit in NLCS Game 2 loss

Game 1 of the NLCS could not have gone better for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They got seven shutout innings from Jack Flaherty and saw their offense explode for nine runs. They won the opener of the NLCS 9-0, and had a chance to take complete control of the series with another win.

The New York Mets wouldn't have been on the brink of elimination with a Game 2 loss, but they would've been in a very difficult spot, having to beat the Dodgers four times in five tries to keep their season alive. They needed Game 2 badly, and they got it.

New York, tasked with beating a Dodgers bullpen that had been lights out lately, erupted early, scoring six runs in the first two innings to take a commanding lead. The Dodgers made things interesting, cutting the lead in half, but the Mets bullpen was able to shut the door, evening the series at a game apiece as the scene shifts to New York.

The Dodgers are still in a decent spot, but failed to take advantage of the opportunity to seize complete command of the series. These four individuals deserve to take on a majority of the blame for Monday's frustrating loss.

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4 Dodgers to blame after failing to push Mets to the brink in NLCS Game 2

4) The entire top of the Dodgers lineup no-showed in Monday's loss

This Dodgers team is built around its stars. It's nice when the bottom of their order contributes, but the Dodgers go where their stars take them. Well, the first five hitters in their order went 0-for-19 with nine strikeouts. Those five hitters did draw five walks, but failed to do anything else.

Shohei Ohtani, the soon-to-be NL MVP winner, went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. He did draw two walks, but the Dodgers need more than what they got from Ohtani. Mookie Betts, a former MVP winner, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He, too, drew a walk, but again, they needed more.

Teoscar Hernandez, a player who crushed left-handed pitching in the regular season, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Freddie Freeman, a bonafide Mets-killer dating back to his days with the Atlanta Braves, whether he's on one leg or two, went 0-for-5, including striking out with the game on the line. Will Smith, their No. 5 hitter, went 0-for-4, continuing his postseason struggles.

Tommy Edman stepped up with three hits, and Max Muncy homered, but those hits felt relatively meaningless when the stars did not show up.

3) Kiké Hernandez killed several Dodgers rallies

Kiké Hernandez is far from a star during the regular season, but when October rolls around, he's had a knack for turning it on offensively. He began the day with a .900 OPS in 215 postseason plate appearances and he had gone 5-for-13 to begin the 2024 postseason including a huge home run in the decisive Game 5 of the NLDS. Unfortunately, he failed to show up when the Dodgers needed him in this game.

The Dodgers' best chance to get back into this game was in the bottom of the sixth inning. A two-run single from Tommy Edman cut New York's lead to 6-3, and a Max Muncy walk allowed Hernandez to step up to the plate as the tying run. Instead of tying the game with one heroic swing or even keeping the rally going, Hernandez did the one thing he could not afford to do - ground into a double play. The rally would end there, and the Mets would escape.

As if that wasn't enough of a gift for Hernandez, he had another chance to come up clutch for Los Angeles. A two-out single from Edman and a walk from Muncy sent Hernandez up to the plate once again as the tying run. He got a pitch to hit, but wound up flying out to right field, ending the threat.

Hernandez had two chances to potentially swing the game, but he ended two rallies.

2) Dave Roberts had a rough game managing

Dave Roberts was put into a rough spot for this Game 2. All of the injuries to their pitching staff essentially forced him to rely on a bullpen game. It worked in the NLDS against the Padres, but failed spectacularly on Monday against the Mets.

The opener, Ryan Brasier, gave up a leadoff home run to Francisco Lindor. The bulk reliever, Landon Knack, allowed five runs including a Mark Vientos grand slam to break the game open. Just 1.5 innings in, the Dodgers trailed 6-0.

There isn't much Roberts could do there. His pitchers do have to perform, and simply did not. He did, however, have control of what the Dodgers could do in the middle of a jam in that second inning. Rather than attack Francisco Lindor with two men on and two out, Roberts intentionally walked him to get to Vientos, who took that personally. Vientos launched the grand slam, giving the Mets complete control.

Knack has to execute better against Vientos, but Roberts did not push the right buttons. Brasier failed as the opener, Knack failed in the spot he was put in, and the decision to walk Lindor to get to Vientos, while it did make some sense considering the year Lindor had, could not have unfolded worse for the Dodgers.

Roberts pushed all of the right buttons with his bullpen to wrap up the NLDS, but he did not do that on Monday. Hopefully, that will change with the series moving to New York.

1) Landon Knack's inexperience came back to bite the Dodgers

Landon Knack entered this game with the Dodgers trailing 1-0 in the second inning. Brasier dealt with the heavy hitters in the first, so Knack's job, in just his second career postseason game, wasn't supposed to be all that difficult. Unfortunately, he didn't have it from the start.

Knack walked two (one intentional) and allowed three hits in the second inning including the game-changing Vientos grand slam. A 1-0 deficit is manageable. A 6-0 deficit makes it really difficult for any team, even one as potent as the Dodgers, to come back, especially in October.

It's hard to knock Knack too much, considering the fact that he had just 69 innings of regular season experience heading into this postseason and wouldn't be in this spot without the slew of Dodgers injuries, but the fact of the matter is that he was trusted with keeping this game manageable, and he failed to do that. He did get through a scoreless second inning by escaping a bases-loaded jam, but that brutal second inning cost the Dodgers in this game.

The Dodgers are likely going to go with another bullpen game in Game 6 of this series (if necessary), so if Knack is called upon again, he's going to need to do a whole lot better.