Predicting the Mets starting lineup in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card round vs. Brewers

It took every bit of the 162-game schedule, but Major League Baseball's playoff field is finally set. On the National League side, it all came down to a doubleheader between the Mets and Braves in Atlanta yesterday, but as anyone that watched and survived the heart-pounding events unfold at Truist Park knows, the Mets were able to secure their spot in the field in the most dramatic way possible by overcoming two separate late-inning deficits to punch their ticket. The Braves followed suit in a bit of an anticlimactic Game 2, which left the Arizona Diamondbacks on the outside looking in.

The Mets will now travel back to Milwaukee to face the Brewers just a couple of days after leaving the city of brats and beer, this time with even higher stakes. The Braves will head to San Diego to face the red-hot Padres, while the Dodgers and Phillies, by virtue of having the two best records in the league, will await the winners in the Divisional Round.

The Mets managed just a 1-5 record against the Brewers this year, but that one win was crucial, as it brought their magic number to one before heading to Atlanta. None of that matters now, though, as the slate is wiped clean in anticipation of a best-of-three series that will all take place at American Family Field.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hasn't been afraid to tinker with his lineup, and we'll soon know exactly who he'll trot out there to face Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta. What we do know right now is that Luis Severino will start Game 1 for the Mets, by virtue of not being needed in Atlanta yesterday.

Severino faced the Brewers way back in March in his first start as a Met, Pat Murphy's club gave him a rude welcome. The Brew Crew hit Severino hard to the tune of 11 hits and six runs (three earned) in five innings, in what ended up a 7-6 Milwaukee win. The Mets and Severino have come a long way since then though, and after a season in which he proved himself to be one of the better free agent signings in baseball, he'll now try to get a playoff win for just the second time in his career.

Let's take our best guess at who will be helping him in Game 1.

New York Mets lineup prediction for Game 1 of Wild Card series vs. Brewers

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Jose Iglesia, 2B
3. Brandon Nimmo, LF
4. Mark Vientos, 3B
5. Pete Alonso, 1B
6. Starling Marte, RF
7. Jesse Winker, DH
8. Francisco Alvarez, C
9. Tyrone Taylor, CF

The Mets took off and haven't looked back since Mendoza put Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot in late May, and that won't change now. Lindor's slow start to the season feels like it happened years ago, and while the Mets certainly wouldn't be in the playoffs if not for his season-long contributions, his ninth-inning go-ahead homer against the Braves yesterday was still easily his single best moment as a Met.

Jose Iglesias is just seeing the ball too well to hit him anywhere lower than second in the order. He enters the postseason riding a 21-game hitting streak, and his aggressive style at the plate will set a new tone for a Mets lineup that managed only one hit and one run off Peralta when the Mets faced him on Opening Day.

Brandon Nimmo has hit safely in 12 of his past 15 games, and his two-run, eighth-inning blast off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias yesterday seemed like it would be the insurance the Mets needed to get across the finish line. He doesn't have a hit in eight career attempts against Peralta, but he's 4-12 in his playoff career and will play an integral role not only in driving in Lindor and Iglesias, but in getting on for the power-hitting duo behind him.

Few people predicted that Mark Vientos would be one of the Mets' best players this season, but that's exactly what he was. Vientos has been indispensable since seizing the starting third base job from Brett Baty, and he actually finished with the highest slugging percentage on the team. Mets fans hope that his homer off Brewers starter Frankie Montas on Friday was a sign of good things to come.

Nobody knows if this is the last stretch of seeing Pete Alonso in a Mets uniform, but the Mets and their Polar Bear can't worry about that now. Pete has a hit in all three of his previous playoff games, and though he hasn't homered since September 21, he still hit 34 balls out of the park in what most considered to be a "down" year. Now would be the best possible time for Pete to make his case to be a lifelong Met.

Starling Marte wasn't fully healthy the last time the Mets made the playoffs, but after coming up with two clutch hits and scoring two clutch runs after pinch-hitting for Harrison Bader yesterday, he sure looks ready to contribute this time around. Marte has had success off Freddy Peralta in his career, with a single, triple, and homer in 12 at-bats, and putting him in the 6-hole gives the Mets some speed at the bottom of their lineup.

Jesse Winker hasn't played since Friday as he's dealt with an aching back, but as the hitter on the Mets roster with the most success against Freddy Peralta, Carlos Mendoza could sure use him in the lineup. Winker has two homers, two doubles, and a .333 average in 18 career at-bats against Peralta, and his lefty bat can help mix up the righty-heavy bottom of the order. For now, we'll project Winker to tough it out and make his Mets postseason debut, though we'll find out for sure soon enough. If Winker can't give it a go, expect J.D. Martinez to hit here instead.

At the plate, it's been a bit of a disappointing year for Francisco Alvarez, though he's shown signs recently of getting hot at the right time. Alvarez has three homers in his last 10 games, and he helped get the rally going yesterday with a double off Braves reliever Joe Jimenez to plate the Mets' first run of the game. The Mets will take whatever Alvarez gives them at the plate, but his most important role in this series will be limiting the Brewers on the basepaths, where they've stolen 17 bases without being caught once against the Mets this year.

Francisco Lindor deserves all the credit he's received for hitting the game-winning home run yesterday, but Tyrone Taylor is the one that really woke the Mets up to begin with. Taylor's 11-pitch battle to lead off the top of the eighth ultimately resulted in a double that he smoked into the left-center field gap, and it chased previously unhittable Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach from the game. That jumpstarted the Mets' furious rally and set the stage for Lindor's heroics in the ninth. Even at the bottom of the lineup, Taylor is a spark plug that has been crucial to the Mets' success this season.