The bullpen game falls apart as the Dodgers lose NLCS Game 2 to the Mets

In theory, the Dodgers' decision to play a bullpen game in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday made sense.

Thanks to Jack Flaherty's seven-inning Game 1 winner, the club's lockdown relief corps had just gotten a rare night off. Walker Buehler was an option for a more traditional start, but the Dodgers wanted to save him for Game 3 in New York instead.

So they planned to re-implement the pitching plan that worked so well in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, when they avoided elimination with a group effort shutout by eight different pitchers.

The only problem: This time, the Dodgers declined to use their top relievers to start the game.

And before they could even get to them, the score was already out of reach.

With a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets in Game 2, the Dodgers' record-setting 33-inning postseason scoreless streak ended quickly – and disastrously.

Right-handed opener Ryan Brasier allowed a leadoff home run to Francisco Lindor in the first at-bat of the game. Then the real disaster struck in a five-run second inning against rookie right-hander Landon Knack.

“Obviously,” said Knack, “I didn’t set the tone very well for everyone else.”

In last week's Game 4 win over the Padres, Knack – the former second-round draft pick whose solid rookie season wasn't enough to justify full pitching duties in the playoffs – didn't take the mound until the ninth inning, when the The Dodgers had an eight-run lead.

But on Monday, he became the first pitcher out of the bullpen. Not Anthony Banda (who pitched in the second inning of Game 4 in the NLDS). Not Michael Kopech (who was called up for the third inning that night). And neither do any of the team's other dominant backup players.

In hindsight…it was a costly decision.

After giving up a leadoff single and putting another runner on base with a walk, Knack never managed to stop the bleeding. Tyrone Taylor hit an RBI double down the left field line for a run. After an intentional walk to Lindor loaded the bases, Mark Vientos pitched a nine-pitch at-bat that ended with a grand slam.

New York's Mark Vientos celebrates as he runs past Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman after a grand slam.

Just like that, the Mets were 6-0.

“I just felt like he wasn't sharp overall today, especially in the second (pitches),” Roberts said, noting that Taylor's double came on a hanging curveball and that Vientos' home run came after a full count. Fastball only succeeded after Knack failed to complete the hit with four straight two-strike sliders.

“We had the opportunity to minimize the damage… and then you make a mistake with your heater,” Roberts added. “It was clearly a huge success.”

Unlike last week, Roberts said Monday's plan was always to use Knack early in the game.

The team knew they would need at least a few innings from him, as they had to make up for the absence of two key players from last week's bullpen game: left-handed reliever Alex Vesia (who missed this series with an injury) and the right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson (unavailable Monday after pitching in Game 1).

And even when Knack began to scuffle in the second, Roberts said he had no choice but to get through the inning — otherwise he felt shackled by a possible lack of pitching options later in the game.

“You go to anyone else (in this inning),” Roberts said, “we're not going to have enough pitching to finish the game.”

Things were so bad that the Dodgers completely avoided using high-leverage weapons except for an 18-pitch fourth inning by Banda (their only left-hander in the series without Vesia out).

Brent Honeywell Jr. pitched three scoreless innings. Edgardo Henriquez gave up one run in the final two runs.

As a result, the team's top three reserves – Kopech, Blake Treinen and Evan Phillips – will enter Game 3 on a four-day break.

For Roberts, that was at least one bright spot from Monday.

But it did little to offset the series' sudden shift in momentum.

“It’s going to be a long series,” outfielder Mookie Betts said. “We expect it to be a long, tough series.”

Admittedly, poor pitching wasn't the only reason the Dodgers lost on Monday.

Their bats went cold against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea, who entered the game with a career ERA of 7.09 against the Dodgers but held them scoreless until a solo home run by Max Muncy in the bottom of the fifth.

And even after they got back to 6-3 and scored a pair of runs in the sixth after two errors from the Mets' infield, Kiké Hernández twice came up empty on the tying or go-ahead run and rolled in a bases-loaded double Play to end the sixth before flying off with two on board to end the eighth.

“I have really good shots to hit,” Hernández said. “I just couldn’t get through today.”

Now that the next three games of the series will be played at Citi Field, the Dodgers can only hope their starting lineup doesn't suffer the same fate.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reacts after striking out in the first inning against the Mets.

On paper, the Dodgers won't retain the pitching advantage in Game 3 when Buehler (who went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in the regular season and gave up six runs in his only NLDS start) duels Luis Severino (who followed his 11-7 record and 3.91 ERA in the regular season with two good starts in the playoffs).

And unless the Dodgers get the good version of Yoshinobu Yamamoto the next day (the one who pitched five shutout innings against the Padres in Game 5, rather than the version that threw five runs back and forth in Game 1) , Game 4 matchup could be a success Mets veteran Jose Quintana has yet to allow an earned run in 11 postseason innings after posting a 10-10 record and a 3.75 ERA in the regular season.

The good news for the Dodgers is that with a rested bullpen, they should be well-positioned to secure a lead in both games.

Game 5 also offers a more favorable starting position, with Flaherty starting as a pitcher for the second time in this series.

“We are very well prepared,” said catcher Will Smith about the prospect of a longer series. “A lot of squad depth, really one through 26. It’s going to be a battle. We knew it was going to happen.”

But as demonstrated Monday, the Dodgers can no longer consider a possible bullpen game later in the Series as a guarantee.

“It's all great when it's working well and the guys are shooting zeros, but you're still up against really good hitters,” Roberts said. “When you’re on the edge and you lose a few guys and guys aren’t available” — like Vesia and Hudson — “you have to figure out how to get out somehow.”

On Monday, this duty ended up with Knack.

He couldn't deliver. The rest of the game script was discarded. And the NLCS now travels to New York, with one game each.