Takeaways from Mets-Phillies Game 4: Francisco Lindor’s grand slam sends New York to NLCS

As pointed out by Mathew Brownstein of the New York Times, Lindor’s grand slam was just the second in Mets postseason history and the first since Edgardo Alfonzo in Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS.

Although Lindor has been stellar for the Mets since slumping early in the season, it’ll be interesting to see whether his latest hit will give him a second wind. Entering Wednesday’s game, Lindor was batting just .227 with five hits and two RBI to begin the postseason. If he’s beginning to heat up again, New York has a chance to pull off another upset in the NLCS. 

Phillies need to make major changes in the offseason 

The Phillies clearly need to change things up this offseason, but where do they go from here?

Philadelphia entered 2024 with World Series aspirations after falling short in each of the past two postseasons. Ultimately, the team enjoyed an impressive regular season, posting the second-best record in baseball (95-67) and capturing its first NL East title since 2011. Yet, it feels like the Phillies took another step back this October, raising questions about their current core’s potential to be successful in the postseason.

The majority of Philadelphia’s talented lineup went ice-cold at the same time. As per Delaware Online’s Brandon Holveck, Philadelphia’s five through nine hitters posted a combined .116 batting in the NLDS. Meanwhile, the bullpen, which was considered a potential strength of the team, went on to have an 11.37 ERA in the series, recording 38 outs while allowing 28 baserunners.

The team-wide meltdown makes finding a solution all the more challenging for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Replacing hitting coach Kevin Long seems like a necessary first step, though moving on from third baseman Alec Bohm and outfielder Brandon Marsh also makes sense, given that they went a combined 2-for-26 at the plate against the Mets. 

Mets need Edwin Diaz to turn things around to continue their magical run

If the Mets intend to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2015, they desperately need more consistency from their $102M closer Diaz. The Puerto Rico native was the best closer in baseball in 2022 but struggled during the regular season after missing 2023 with a knee injury, posting a 3.52 ERA with seven blown saves.

Diaz’s struggles have carried over into the postseason, as he allowed three earned runs and issued three walks while striking out five batters across his first two outings.

The rollercoaster-like Diaz experience reached its peak on Wednesday, with the right-hander walking the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning while the Mets were clinging to a three-run lead. Even so, Diaz rebounded, striking out Phillies utilityman Kody Clemens before getting Brandon Marsh to fly out to center field.

This set up a duel against Kyle Schwarber with a trip to the NLCS on the line, and Diaz struck out the designated hitter on four pitches to lead New York to victory.

Despite his shakiness, Diaz is undoubtedly New York’s most talented bullpen arm and must remain in the closer role. Still, Diaz must be sharper if he plans on having success against the Mets’ NLCS opponent.

The key to success for Diaz will be to locate his signature slider more effectively, considering he threw the pitch six times in Game 4, four of which were balls, and another resulted in a long foul ball.