The Mets' offense explodes early, evening the NLCS series with the Dodgers

CNN
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After being shut out in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets offense came to life against the Dodgers in Game 2 on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles. With a 7-3 bounce-back win, the Mets evened the series at one game apiece.

Mets star Francisco Lindor opened the game with a home run off Dodgers reliever Ryan Brasier, who earned the starting job as part of a scheduled bullpen game for the Dodgers' undermanned pitching staff.

Lindor's home run snapped a streak of 33 consecutive scoreless innings by Dodgers pitchers, tied for the highest streak ever in a single postseason with the 1966 Baltimore Orioles.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts switched to another reliever in the second inning, but Landon Knack fared no better as the Mets' offense continued to pile up the runs. New York scored five runs in the inning, capped by a grand slam from Mark Vientos that extended the lead to 6-0.

The Dodgers' potent offense tried to start a rally, scoring three unanswered runs and cutting the Mets' lead in half by the bottom of the sixth inning.

Los Angeles got the winning run in the eighth inning, but New York's bullpen held its nerve and maintained the lead when Mets' closer Edwin Diaz engineered a flyout from the Dodgers' Kike Hernández to extinguish the threat.

The Mets put together a sure run to start the ninth, and Diaz made the save with a scoreless bottom of the inning to end the game.

After the game, Vientos told game broadcaster FOX about his mindset after the Dodgers loaded the bases by intentionally letting Lindor walk to him before his grand slam in the second inning.

“To be honest, I took it personally,” Vientos said with a smile.

“I was like, 'Okay, do you want me to join?'” Vientos continued. “Honestly, I tried to simplify the game. I didn't try to do too much. But I took it personally.”

The NLCS now moves to the Big Apple, where the Mets, who clinched the National League's final wild-card spot on the final day of the regular season, will look to continue their improbable run by beating the top-seeded Dodgers in Game 3 on Wednesday received .

Lindor expressed his excitement about returning to Citi Field after the game.

“Mets Nation is great, so I’m excited to be home,” Lindor told FOX. “We just have to continue to stay the course and play as hard as we can day in and day out.”

Both teams will send their aces to the mound as the Dodgers' Walker Buehler faces the Mets' Luis Severino.