MLB Playoff Roundup: Dodgers a win away from pennant

Today at 07:00 AM

The World Series is in sight for LA, who need just one win to force the Mets to wake up from their dream season.

So this is what a billion dollars gets you.

Despite having just one functioning starting pitcher, the Dodgers have dominated the Mets over the course of this NLCS. While the baby brothers of New York have claimed a game, LA has otherwise brutalized the orange and blue, and last night was no exception. After a 10-2 disassembly in Queens last night, the Dodgers stand just one win away from their 25th NL pennant, and their fourth since 2017.

Shohei Ohtani got things started off in a huge way:

Two pitches into the game and the Dodgers already had a lead, not exactly silencing Citi Field but certainly taking things down a few decibels.

Not to be outdone, the Mets were able to respond in the bottom half, courtesy of Mark Vientos:

Vientos is enjoying the ultimate coming-out party in this postseason run, being just about the only Met that can manage some offense against the Dodgers, and hitting his fourth home run of this October stretch. Unfortunately, it really does seem like Vientos is the only one that can stand up to the Hollywood juggernaut, as the Dodgers began to pour it on after his dinger.

Tommy Edman's RBI double in the third put the club ahead for good, and Kiké Hernández continued to build his postseason legacy with an RBI single that didn't even leave the infield.

Francisco Lindor actually makes an outstanding effort to save a run — if that ball gets by him, two Dodgers come in. In the end it didn't matter, but for the Mets' MVP to go that hard on every batted ball should hopefully buy him some goodwill if he has a slow April in 2025. It won't, but it should.

Mookie Betts brought in two on a double, then hit a two-run bomb in the sixth:

So much of the Dodgers strategy against San Diego was "hopefully Shohei will save us." Although the ailing Freddie Freeman rode the bench in Game 4, combining Ohtani and a productive Betts is as formidable a combo as Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, and we've seen how those two can dominate a run of games.

The Dodgers own a commanding lead in this NLCS, with the opportunity to punch their ticket to the World Series today, with a 5pm start time. Jack Flaherty, perhaps the only true Dodgers starter, will look to repeat his Game 1 success with another superb performance, and it'll be up to the Mets and David Peterson to stop this seemingly unstoppable force. They need a win to save their season and force a Game 6 on Sunday back at Dodger Stadium. If they can get there, they would feel good about Sean Manaea taking the ball since he looked sharp in Game 2. But they have a lot of work to do today.

Look for Mets fans to go all-out at Citi Field tonight in what could be the last game of the season — and perhaps Pete Alonso's Mets career.