Mets face major challenge in Dodgers' juggernaut

On the eve of this week’s visit to Citi Field, two things in particular (among many eye-popping stats) stand out about the Dodgers.

7 1⁄2 — the number of games between them and the two second-best teams in baseball, the Mets and Astros, entering Monday night.

16 — their magic number (before Monday night’s game in Miami) to clinch the NL West title, with Labor Day still a week away.

That’s sort of ridiculous.

It’s not just about the Dodgers being great. The head-scratcher is the separation, the degree to which they’re superior to everyone else. The Padres, at 11 games over .500, are a pretty decent club. San Diego is in second place but is only a speck in L.A.’s rearview mirror at 19 1⁄2 games back.

When the Mets visited Chavez Ravine in June, the roles were somewhat reversed. It was Buck Showalter & Co. who sat atop the National League, as the Dodgers had yet to hit their stride. That early showdown turned out to be a revelation for both clubs, with the Mets dropping the first two, then rallying to win the back half of the four-game series.

The memorable quote from that exhausting clash? Said J.D. Davis, “We’re just as good as them.”

At the time, sure. But plenty has changed since then, including Davis no longer being a member of the Mets, his role now a platoon between Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf, the player acquired from the Giants for Davis (and three pitching prospects). With Vogelbach cooling some lately — he has a .150/.292/.375 slash line, two homers and five RBIs in 15 games dating to Aug. 12 — and Ruf barely in the lineup, the DH is going to be a pivotal spot this week for a Mets team that struggled to score against the pitching-poor Rockies, whose 5.10 ERA is the second-worst in the majors (to the Nationals’ 5.11).

If you’re wondering, the Rockies were 34 1⁄2 games behind the Dodgers. Averaging a smidge over three runs during L.A.’s stay in Flushing probably wouldn’t mean good things for the Mets. That’s not to suggest the trio of Taijuan Walker, Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt — in order — aren’t capable of containing the Los Angeles juggernaut to some extent, but the Dodgers’ lineup is as deep as it is relentless. As of Monday, they led the NL in runs per game (5.4), batting average (.264), on-base percentage (.339), slugging (.454) and OPS (.793).

A top three that usually deploys some variation of Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman is a nightmare to start with (Betts was named NL Player of the Week for hitting .346 (9-for-26) with three doubles, four homers and a .923 slugging percentage in six games). That trio is followed by a combination of Max Muncy, Will Smith and Justin Turner, depending on the day, of course. The Dodgers’ versatility allows them to constantly tinker with lineups, making them difficult to strategize for during a series.

Combine that with an equally fearsome pitching staff that leads the NL in all of the key categories — 2.84 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .210 BAA — and the balanced strength is difficult to beat. That explains the Dodgers’ absurd plus-285 run differential, which was 91 runs better than the second-best Yankees heading into Monday’s games.

“You don’t look forward to it necessarily,” Showalter said. “What you look forward to is the competition of facing a really good team. I think our guys look at it about the same. Regardless of who you’re playing, you gotta do things well.”

The Dodgers’ dominance is helpful in one respect: It should keep the Mets from thinking too far ahead. During the season’s first half, Showalter’s crew was saddled with World Series expectations, a product of Steve Cohen’s massive winter investment in the sport’s top payroll ($290 million) followed by a blazing start to the season.

But the Mets currently have their hands full trying to hold off Atlanta in a tight NL East race. If the Mets survive the defending world champs, the Dodgers loom as a serious obstacle come October.

How the Mets fare this week in a potential NLCS preview could resonate further down the line. The Dodgers will get their first look at the 2022 version of deGrom on Wednesday, but the Mets weren’t scheduled to face Tony Gonsolin — who pitched six scoreless innings (two hits) against them in June — and he also was placed on the injured list Monday with a forearm strain.

“It matters,” Max Scherzer said. “They’ve been one of the best teams in all of baseball. For them to come into town, yeah, you want to beat them. So it’s a great opportunity for us, a great challenge for us to go out there and face them.”

Since their June meeting at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers are 53-19 (.736) and leading the majors in OPS (.815) and team ERA (2.79). The Mets are 45-28 (.616) with a .729 OPS (11th overall) and 3.52 ERA (sixth). They aren’t used to being underdogs, but that’s undeniable this time, even in their own building.

At least that’s what the stats suggest. But the numbers won’t mean much this week — other than the final scores.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.