Carlos Mendoza seems determined to repeat mistake that has already cost the Mets in NLCS

There are plenty of reasons behind the New York Mets' magical run to the NLCS, from the heroics of Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso to the rise of Mark Vientos to the seemingly supernatural power of Grimace. But perhaps the biggest one of all has been New York's starting rotation: The trio of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana, an afterthought before the season began, has been outstanding all October long.

If manager Carlos Mendoza isn't careful, however, the rotation might wind up being the thing that costs the Mets against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While Manaea, Severino and Quintana have been great, there's been one obvious weak link, and it doesn't seem like Mendoza has any plans to change things up any time soon.

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Carlos Mendoza seems committed to giving Kodai Senga another NLCS start

Kodai Senga has occupied the fourth starter's spot for the Mets this postseason, despite missing almost all of the regular season due to shoulder and calf injuries. New York had other potential options in Tylor Megill and David Peterson, but given how sensational Senga looked when he was healthy in 2022, it made sense for New York to give him a chance to contribute in October.

At this point, though, it seems clear that it's asking too much of the righty: Senga gave up a run on a walk and a solo homer over two innings in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, then got rocked for three runs on two hits and four walks in just 1.1 innings of work in Game 1 of the NLCS. His stuff isn't quite as sharp, and more critically, his command is nowhere near locked in. In a best-of-seven series where one bad outing can send a team home, you'd think the available evidence might have Mendoza reconsidering his plan of attack for the rest of the series — but, at least right now, that's not the case.

When asked about his rotation for the rest of the series ahead of Wednesday's Game 3, Mendoza kept things vague, declining to say whether Peterson might get a shot to start a hypothetical Game 5.

“We’ll see how the game goes [Wednesday], if Peterson is available for [Wednesday] or the next day, but we’ve just got to get there first,” Mendoza told MLB.com. “But he brings a lot out of the bullpen.”

It's true that Peterson brings a lot out of the bullpen, both in terms of length and in terms of a left-handed look the Mets desperately need. But it's also true that his contributions won't be needed if Senga puts New York in an early hole, as he did in Game 1's loss at Dodger Stadium. The NLCS is not the time to play around or experiment, nor is it the time to give players a longer leash in order to try and get them going; small sample sizes reign supreme, and the only thing that matters is who can get the job done today. As bright as his long-term outlook is, that clearly isn't Senga, and while Peterson might help out of the bullpen in Games 3 or 4, he'd help a lot more starting Game 5.