Luis Severino Delivers, Mets Win Game 1 Against Brewers: Takeaways

The magic of the New York Mets is very much alive.

After clinching a playoff spot in epic fashion a day earlier, the Mets attacked the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen in Game 1 of the wild card series in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled starter Freddy Peralta before facing the Mets lineup for the third time, and the Mets responded with five two-out runs in the fifth inning to take an 8–4 victory.

It was a devastating sequence for the Brewers, who drew first blood in the game. They sent eight men to the plate and scored twice in the first inning against Mets starter Luis Severino. The last thing the Mets needed after Monday's doubleheader was a short start from Severino. But the Mets answered immediately, with Jesse Winker's triple sparking a three-run second inning and Severino settling for six innings of four-run baseball.

Everything unraveled for Milwaukee when Murphy walked reliever Joel Payamps in the fifth, leading by one run. With two outs, Jose Iglesias beat an infield single to right and Tyrone Taylor scored from second base on the play. Lefty Aaron Ashby entered, and the next five batters reached base: single, single, intentional walk, single, walk. Mark Vientos' two-run inning gave the Mets a lead they would not relinquish.

Sean Manaea will take the ball in Game 2, with the Brewers on the brink of elimination. The Brewers scored six runs against him last week, five earned. – Stephen J. Nesbitt

Getting six innings from Severino was huge

By winning the first game of Monday's doubleheader, the Mets earned a chance to save Luis Severino for Tuesday's start. Still, their bullpen felt the impact. Before Game 1, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza left open the possibility of appearances by Edwin Diaz and setup reliever Phil Matton. But Diaz has thrown 60 pitches over the past two days and Matton has appeared in three straight games. (And after the game, Mendoza acknowledged that Diaz was unavailable.) That left the Mets with solid leverage options in Jose Batto, Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett, but the backend was still compromised. So, Severino's commitment to the best possible outcome for the Mets lasts a while.

The veteran has done his part. After a rough first inning in which he gave up two runs, Severino settled down and pitched six solid innings (eight hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts). Once the Mets saw Severino take a four-run lead with five runs in the fifth inning, he relied on his fastball to get ahead of batters and retired eight straight to complete his performance.

Severino said he thought his start would be over after giving up three hits and two runs in the fourth inning. After the Mets took the lead, Mendoza elected to bat with Severino.

“I was a little beat up; I'm not going to lie,” said Severino, who threw 105 pitches. “But the guys gave me a lot of time to rest that I needed out there, and I was able to come back.”

It wasn't Severino's best day, but he gave the Mets what they needed, and that's all that matters. – Will front

Yanking Peralta was a mistake

The bullpen has been a strength for the Brewers all season, with a 3.11 ERA that ranks best in the National League. Manager Pat Murphy seemed eager to deploy his relievers in Game 1, even with his ace, Freddy Peralta, starting the game. The bullpen was hot in the second inning and again in the fourth, and when the door opened for the top of the fifth, the lead and the game went with it.

Peralta threw just 68 pitches and retired his last nine hitters, but Joel Payamps grounded out in the fifth. Payamps hadn't allowed an earned run since August, but the Mets responded with a go-ahead five-run rally. They sent 11 batters to the plate in Peyamps, Aaron Ashby and Nick Meyers and none struck out. Keeping the ball in play paid off in a big way for the Mets, who turned a 4-3 deficit into an 8-4 lead, and Peralta's hitting proved fatal for the Brewers. – Tyler Kepner

The Mets feature a fast-paced, dynamic offense

They're not stars — well, one, but for the music — but anyone who's paid attention to the Mets this season would have put second baseman Jose Iglesias and outfielder Tyron Taylor on the Mets' short list as tone setters.

In the fifth inning, Iglesias beat out an infield hit, as he did many times during the regular season. On a grounder to right, first baseman Rhys Hoskins made a diving stop. Then Iglesias outran reliever Joel Payamps, sliding headfirst into first base.

“It seems like he's done that every game,” Francisco Lindor said. “He's a special player.”

In the game, Taylor scored from second base. With two outs, Taylor didn't stop the run. Again, no surprise; He continued to rush the game all season with his head-scratching style.

“That was probably the biggest turning point in the game,” designated hitter JD Martinez said.

From there, the Mets continued to score with a dynamic offense, which also showed against the Brewers on Sunday. They waited, capitalized on mistakes and produced five hits courtesy of a five-run inning, including four singles and two walks.

“We can beat you in different ways,” Mendoza said.

The Mets lead the Brewers in slugging and home run hitting. In the playoffs, against top-tier pitching, power is huge. But it helps to be multidimensional. – Will front

Postseason woes struck again in Milwaukee

Tuesday's loss was the 10th in 11 postseason games for the Brewers since Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, when they fell to the Dodgers with a chance to win the second pennant in their history. In order, the Brewers lost the 2019 NL Wild Card game in Washington, dropped two straight to the Dodgers in the first round in 2020, lost three of four to Atlanta in the 2021 NLDS, lost both games at home to Arizona in the Wild Card Series last fall, and now This is. It's not the Minnesota Twins from 2003-2023… but it's a distinct and discouraging trend. – Tyler Kepner

(Top photo by Luis Severino: John Fisher/Getty Images)