A valuable Mets lesson to take from their NLWC win into the NLDS vs. the Phillies

When television was made in the 1980s, writers began by deciding what lesson the audience would learn. Would it be one about friendship? Sharing? Honesty? Don’t trust strangers? Baseball isn’t scripted. You’d never know watching the New York Mets season unfold.

Today’s world doesn’t need a G.I. Joe to show up at the end of an episode to teach you something about life. We wouldn’t complain, though, if Wild Bill, Leatherneck, or Alpine showed up in Philadelphia to give the Mets one suggestion they can take from their win over the Milwaukee Brewers and use it versus the Phillies.

What would that lesson be? It’s about sticking with what works and living a little more in the moment.

The lesson for the Mets to take from the NLWC into the NLDS is a little more trust in their pitchers

Game one was handled perfectly by Carlos Mendoza. He let Luis Severino gut it out a little longer than other skippers might have. It paid off for a tired bullpen who would be called upon often over the next two days.

Game two remains the 9-inning affair when Mendoza went against what had worked so well for the team throughout September. He didn’t push Sean Manaea long enough. Asking for 12 outs from this bullpen is dangerous.

We saw a well-written plan in the finale almost go sideways when the usually reliable Jose Butto served up a pair of home runs. Mendoza’s actions at least indicated some regret about how he handled the pitchers the day before. Jose Quintana on crush control was allowed to get through six shutout innings.

It’ll be a horse of a different color for the Mets in their opener against the Phillies. Kodai Senga to start and then the fun or trouble begins. Senga shouldn’t stay on the mound longer than he needs to. It’s not even so much about preservation as much as it is not knowing what to expect from a guy who tossed less than 6 major league innings all year.

Mendoza can still implement this lesson into the handling of relievers. If it’s David Peterson directly after Senga, give him a shot to go as deep as he can. The NLDS schedule offers the days off they had to manage around in the first round. With the season on the line, the kid’s gloves need to come off and everyone needs to be ready to throw at any moment.