Everything Carlos Mendoza said after Mets blowout loss to the Dodgers in NLCS Game 1

The New York Mets have been dreaming of an NLCS appearance since 2015. They probably didn't have a 9-0 loss in mind when they finally got there.

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Dodgers blasted the Mets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. They got started early with two runs on starter Kodai Senga. They never really took their foot off the gas either, holding New York scoreless while dropping nine runs.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had to face the media after a difficult night in Los Angeles when words couldn't possibly make it better.

Carlos Mendoza on Kodai Senga's struggles in Game 1

The unavoidable talking point surrounded pitcher Kodai Senga, whose miserable first inning set the wrong kind of tone for the Mets.

"He was off. He didn't have it," Mendoza said.

Senga left the game after only 1.1 innings having given up three earned runs. He allowed only two hits but walked four. It was clear he's not quite ready for postseason play after spending most of the second half of the season on IR.

Does Mendoza plan to use Senga again this season if the Mets make it to Game 5?

"We've got to wait and see how he responds the next couple of days," Mendoza said.

That wait-and-see approach is to be expected even though many would prefer to see the Mets avoid throwing Senga out there unless it's a "break glass in case of emergency" situation.

For his part, Senga said he feels 100 percent healthy and "ready to go out next time."

According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, Senga said there was something off with his mechanics in pregame warmups and he didn't figure it out in time for it to not impact the game.

In the playoffs, every little thing that goes wrong can wreck a game. In Game 1, it was Senga's start. The Mendoza will have to figure out how to get his team to respond in Game 2.