It is the sixth inning of Game 1 of the wild-card series at Chavez Ravine, the Mets ahead, 1-0. Nolan McLean shut down the Dodgers offense for 4 ⅓ innings before running into trouble that Tyler Rogers escaped. The bottom of the lineup — switch-hitting Tommy Edman, righty Andy Pages and lefty Ben Rortvedt — is due up. Carlos Mendoza is saving lefty Brooks Raley for Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and the top of the order. Edwin Díaz is ready to take the ball from Raley and finish the final two innings, provided the Mets can complete this bridge to their closer.
Who are you trusting to hold the lead in the sixth?
That is one of the many questions the Mets are trying to answer in the final days of the season.
Yes, they are simply trying to crack into October, and how the Mets will dance is less urgent than whether they will dance. But it would be helpful if along the way the club achieved a proper bullpen pecking order.
