Mets vs. Dodgers score: Pete Alonso leads offensive outburst as New York stays alive, forces NLCS Game 6

The New York Mets staved off elimination on Friday, winning NLCS Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 12-6 final. The Mets forced Game 6, but they still trail the best-of-seven series, 3-2. The Mets continued the theme of blowouts in this series. All five games have been decided by at least four runs, and there has not been a single lead change.

The Mets and Dodgers will now have Saturday off for travel purposes before reconvening in Los Angeles on Sunday night for Game 6. The Dodgers will have their second chance to win their first pennant since 2020.

The Mets, who had lost their first two home games in this series, received an offensive outburst from a lineup that had been too quiet to date. The Dodgers, meanwhile, seemed more concerned with preserving their best relievers for Sunday's scheduled bullpen game than putting a foot wholly forward toward winning Game 5 once the Mets jumped out in front over the course of the early innings.

For more on New York's victory on Friday, here are five things to know.

1. Mets' offense wakes up

Entering Friday, the Mets had been plagued throughout this series by an underperforming lineup. Only two of their seven players with double-digit at-bats had a higher OPS than .700: Mark Vientos and Francisco Lindor. Conversely, both Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso checked in under .500. 

The Mets made a few lineup tweaks entering Game 5 by installing Jeff McNeil and Jesse Winker in place of Jose Iglesias and J.D. Martinez, but those tweaks weren't responsible for New York's offensive outburst. (Though McNeil did hit two sacrifice flies)  Instead, it was many of the Mets' regulars finally getting themselves back into gear.

Alonso opened the game's scoring with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first on a Jack Flaherty pitch that, frankly, probably should not have resulted in a home run:

The aforementioned Lindor, meanwhile, was one of five Mets to collect multiple hits, alongside Alonso, Winker, Starling Marte and Francisco Alvarez. In all, New York received at least one hit from six of its nine starters, which explains how the Mets were able to string together a five-run third inning that broke the game open early.

The Dodgers, to their credit, would reduce the lead to four runs in the sixth. Outfielder Andy Pages hit two home runs, the first in his postseason career. Nevertheless, the Mets offense provided more than enough on Friday to secure the win.

2. Dodgers prioritize bullpen preservation 

As we noted in the introduction, the Dodgers didn't seem too interested in burning through their "A" bullpen on Friday night. Contrariwise, they seemed content to let this one get away so that they could have a well-rested relief corps for Sunday's game, a contest in which they intend to employ a Johnny Wholestaff operation.

Although Flaherty didn't perform well from the jump, manager Dave Roberts was content to let him complete three innings. The damage? Eight runs on eight hits and four walks. 

When Roberts did lift Flaherty, he turned the game over to Brent Honeywell Jr. Honeywell pitched 4 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs of his own, before Anthony Banda got the final out in the eighth. It's unclear if any outcome shy of an injury or an absolute drubbing would've nudged Roberts toward using another reliever.

Essentially punting on a playoff game, no matter the early deficit, is certainly a risky strategy. We'll see if Roberts and the Dodgers are vindicated come Sunday.

3. Another NLCS blowout

Here's a stat for you: four of the seven games decided by five or more runs this MLB postseason have taken place during this series.

Indeed, for whatever reason, this series has been subjected to almost nothing but boat races. The Dodgers took Game 1 by a 9-0 score; Game 3 by an 8-0 final; and Game 4 by a 10-2 mark. The Mets obviously won Game 5 in a rout. That leaves just Game 2, which the Mets won by a 7-3 final, as the closest thing this series has had to a nail-biter.

Here's hoping Game 6 provides us with a little more drama.

4. What history says

According to the site WhoWins, MLB teams who have held a 3-2 advantage in a best-of-seven series have then won the series 69.3% of the time. To be clear: that includes series that went the distance and required a seventh game. The odds, then, remain in the Dodgers' favor, even if they might feel sore about things right now.

5. What's next?

These two teams will use Saturday to travel back across the country. The NLCS will then resume with Game 6 on Sunday in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are expected to employ a bullpen game. The Mets will counter with veteran left-hander Sean Manaea.