Ranking the Mets starting pitcher options for the now-necessary Game 5 

Division Series - Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets - Game 4
Division Series - Philadelphia Phillies v New York Mets - Game 4 | Luke Hales/GettyImages
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2. Bullpen Game

Another creative way to address the pitcher issue for Game 5 of this championship series is through a bullpen game. Unlike other MLB teams, including the Dodgers themselves, the Mets have not been using this tool because the team's pitching staff has been highly efficient during the final stretch of the season.

Indeed, from September 1 to date, the Mets' starting rotation has the fifth-best ERA in all of MLB, something that seemed unprecedented at the beginning of the season when the weaknesses of this team were argued for the 2024 season. Likewise, the Mets bullpen has been a lethal weapon this season despite the control and walk issues they struggled with throughout the season.

Throughout the season, the Mets bullpen had the best strikeout ratio per nine innings in the entire MLB with 10.61 and one of the best Stuff+ in baseball, ranking number 6. Likewise, against the Dodgers during the regular series, The bullpen of the New York team managed to keep that great offense at a SLG of .366 and managed to retire them by striking out with a percentage of 27.7% better than what the Dodgers bullpen achieved against the Mets this season.

The Mets could be inclined to start a bullpen game with Reed Garrett who managed to keep Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux, and Andy Pages hitless against him during the regular season. From this point, they could use a combination of David Peterson, Tylor Megill, José Buttó, and Phil Maton depending on the matchup.

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