The conclusion of MLB’s inaugural wild-card series weekend is just one game: the San Diego Padres at New York Mets.
The playoff field grew to 12 teams for the 2022 postseason – Four best-of-three series will determine which teams advance to the ALDS (against The). Houston Astros Oder the New York Yankees) and NLDS (against the Atlanta Braves Or Los Angeles Dodgers).
All but one of the wild card series were swept. The Cleveland Guardians The sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays They will face the Yankees in round two. The Seattle Mariners The sweep the Toronto Blue Jays And they will face the Astros. And the Philadelphia Phillies After winning the championship, they will face off against the Braves. St. Louis Cardinals.
So who will play for the Dodgers tonight? Tonight will be the night.
Follow the action below for start times, pitches matchups predictions and starting lineups. Then, you’ll get in-game updates after the game.
More: Everything you need to know about the 2022 MLB playoffs | Greatest postseason … ever? | Ace rankings (ESPN+)| Bracket, results and more
San Diego Padres vs New York Mets (7.07 ET on ESPN).
Series tied 1-1
Padres’ starter: Joe Musgrove (10-7, 184 K, 2.93 ERA)
Mets’ starter: Chris Bassitt (15-9, 167 K, 3.42 ERA)
Starting lineups:
PADRES
TBD
METS
TBD
Here are some things to look out for Bassitt versus Musgrove will decide if they want to face off at the NLDS. Los Angeles Dodgers. New York will need to get off to a strong start by Bassitt. But the bigger question is which Mets lineup will face the Padres on Sunday. They left eight runners on base in Game 1 and managed just one run on an. Eduardo Escobar solo home run off Yu Darvish. The offense looked totally different in Game 2. There were contributions from all parts of the lineup, highlighted by home runs Pete Alonso Francisco Lindor. The Mets’ offense has been among the top in baseball throughout the season, but it has struggled in key moments.
The Padres need a strong performance from Musgrove, who made one start against the Mets this season, allowing four runs in 5⅓ innings pitched in an 8-5 loss. As important as the bullpen is Musgrove. After Blake Snell exited Game 2, having allowed two runs on six walks, five strikeouts and four hits in 3⅓ innings, the Padres’ bullpen failed to keep things close after Nick Martinez Alonso’s home run for the win was served up. Adrian Morejon Allowing four players to score with no outs. The Padres ranked fourteenth in baseball for bullpen ERA. They also had the best star reliever. Josh Hader He struggled when he arrived in San Diego after the trade deadline. In 16 innings, he posted a 7.31 ERA. If the Mets’ bats from Game 2 stay around for Game 3, then the Padres’ bullpen may be a major weakness for Game 3. — Joon Le
Our experts picks
Lee: Bassitt gains strength from last Sunday’s pressure-packed defeat to the Atlanta Braves The Mets have a strong start and are able to surpass the Padres in tight games from beginning to end. Mets 4, Padres 2,
Bradford Doolittle After the Padres split, Max Scherzer/Jacob deGrom For starters, Musgrove going against Bassitt gives them the advantage in the pitching matchup. We saw what Buck Showalter went through in trying to put together high-leverage innings on Saturday. This happened while Hader was resting and cooling down for Sunday by the Padres. Padres 4, Mets 2.
Alden Gonzalez: Bassitt was born to pitch in New York and is destined to succeed in these moments. He’ll lead a frenetic home crowd to victory over Musgrove with all his resources at stake. Mets 3, Padres
Jeff Passan: I will always choose New York as my team in an all-hands-on deck game. The Bassitt/Musgrove matchup is somewhat of a wash which leaves the bullpens. New York’s is slightly better though it has a new Hader vs. Edwin Diaz Mets find it a bit scary that he has 28 pitches. The last time he had so many back-to-back was June 2018. Their lineup depth wins the day. Mets 3, Padres 2,