The Kansas City Royals have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series, but the New York Mets will get a chance to turn things around with three games in a row at home.
After sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series, the Mets have seen their bats go cold and their young pitchers struggle through the first two games. Based on the way the Royals have played so far, this could lead to a sweep if things don’t change in a hurry.
Still, the Mets were 49-32 at Citi Field this season and should get a momentum boost from their return and the home fans. You can be certain that after getting this far they won’t just give up now.
That could lead to an exciting Game 3 of the World Series.
World Series Game 3
When: Friday, Oct. 30
Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
Where: Citi Field, Queens, New York
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura (Royals) vs. Noah Syndergaard (Mets)
Preview
The Mets’ biggest strength during the season and in the playoffs has been the depth of their rotation. While other teams might have an ace they can count on followed by mediocre starters, this team can send out a top pitcher every night.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer, who has worked as an analyst during the playoffs, discussed the Mets starters favorably:
After Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom failed to get the job done, it’s now Noah Syndergaard‘s turn. The rookie has looked good all season with a 3.24 ERA, which has improved to 2.77 in three postseason appearances (two starts). Considering he also has a 7-2 record with a 2.46 ERA at home this season, there is reason for the Mets to be excited about another shutdown performance.
The problem is that Syndergaard‘s strength—a fastball that reaches 100 mph with regularity—doesn’t seem to faze the Royals.
Kansas City has an incredibly deep lineup that features contact hitters at every spot of the batting order. No matter what you throw at them, the Royals find a way to get the bat on the ball and wait for good things to happen.
Alec Dopp of Gammons Daily provided a look at what the Royals have done against the other Mets starters in this series:
Both managers had similar thoughts after Game 2:
It might sound simple, but putting the ball in play is enough to start rallies and win games. With the Mets infielders lacking range defensively, the balls are going to find more holes than usual.
Syndergaard doesn’t have as good of secondary stuff as Harvey and deGrom, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of success in Game 3.
On the other side, Yordano Ventura has pitched just well enough to help his team win in each of his last three starts. He hasn’t completed six innings yet in the postseason, but he also hasn’t given up more than three runs in any appearance. With a well-rested bullpen that can be dominant at times, this should be enough.
The Mets offense hasn’t really shown up as expected after the long layoff from the NLCS. The red-hot Daniel Murphy is just 2-for-9 with no extra-base hits in two games, while the team as a whole is batting just .165, thanks mostly to the great work of Johnny Cueto.
If this lineup can’t get to Ventura early, the trio of Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis will do the rest and prevent any chance of comeback.
The New York fans will be excited for their first World Series home game since 2000, but the excitement will wear off quickly as the Royals take Game 3.
Prediction: Royals 4, Mets 2
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com