Four biggest takeaways from Mets’ stunning postseason ouster by Padres

Statistically, the Mets had one of the best lineups in the National League all season long. Jeff McNeil won the batting title, Brandon Nimmo was an on-base machine, Pete Alonso was an elite power hitter, and Francisco Lindor often delivered with runners on. But when the high pressure of postseason baseball came, those similar moments from the regular season were few and far between.

In the biggest game of the year, they could only muster one hit in an elimination matchup at home against Joe Musgrove. It was a sad display for a team who made a reputation for getting hits and driving in runs all season. They led the NL in hits and were fourth in runs batted in, but on Friday and Sunday night they hit like a last-place squad.

Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Josh Bell need to do more to beat the Dodgers

In the postseason, a team’s top players need to deliver. The Padres’ marquee trio of Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Josh Bell wasn’t bad in this series, per se. The three managed two home runs and four RBI.

However, against the MLB-leading Los Angeles Dodgers they will need to deliver much more than that if they expect to reach the championship series. Of all the NL playoff teams, the Padres are the weakest hitting group. If they hope to pull off a second straight upset of the other 100-plus win team in the league, San Diego’s most impactful hitters need to up their games in the divisional round.

Max Scherzer flopped in first postseason with the Mets

The Mets’ $43 million man Max Scherzer was a flop in his first postseason appearance for New York. Even the best players have off nights. Especially in the playoffs. However, Scherzer’s showing on Friday, where he gave up seven runs, seven hits, and four home runs, was horrid. That performance was only worsened by the fact that it followed another poor display against the Braves in a series that cost the Mets a bye in the playoffs.

For the most part, Scherzer was everything the Mets hoped for in 2022 — injuries aside. But he is being paid a historic amount of money to win when it really matters, and the 38-year-old flat out didn’t when the time came.

Padres rotation held up well against an elite offense

The Padres will now face not only the best lineup in the NL but one of the deadliest in baseball. What was important about this series is the fact that they were tested in high-pressure situations against a lineup with a batting champion and 40 home run hitter. But Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, and Blake Snell delivered in a big way. Giving up just three runs in a combined 16.1 innings. They will need more of that from their top three in the rotation if they have any chance against the Dodgers next week.

While the Padres will be sizable underdogs in this series, if their pitching staff can perform as they did in shutting down a powerful Mets lineup for the majority of their three games, their series against LA may be much closer than many expect.