Luis Severino not quite good enough for Mets in Game 3 loss

Decent.But decent isn’t good enough against these Dodgers.Luis Severino kept the Mets in the game, but that didn’t result in a victory in Wednesday night’s NLCS Game 3 meeting between the Dodgers and Mets in Queens.Two second-inning runs put the Mets behind and they never really recovered in a 8-0 loss at Citi Field that enabled the Dodgers to take a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.Otherwise, Severino was passable, limiting Los Angeles’ powerhouse lineup to three hits and those two runs.While he didn’t give the Mets length, Severino at least limited the damage.He got out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the third by retiring Teoscar Hernandez and Gavin Lux, worked a perfect fourth, and came out in the fifth with two on and two out.The two runs were unearned, and not completely Severino’s fault.

He did walk Max Muncy leading off the frame, but Francisco Alvarez’s throwing error on a Hernandez dribbler loomed large.Severino couldn’t field a Lux comebacker cleanly, costing him a chance at a double play, and Will Smith singled off Severino, allowing another run to score.

The right-hander, a gold glove finalist, was fortunate that Tommy Edman’s rocket was tracked down in right-center field by Tyrone Taylor, or it could’ve been worse.That has been Severino’s postseason — not disastrous, but not overly effective.He entered with a 4.50 ERA, having allowed six earned runs in 12 innings pitched, and he wasn’t much better on Wednesday night.Severino was frequently behind hitters, put the Mets in an early hole and forced the bullpen to get 13 outs.

It didn’t help matters that Reed Garrett served up a two-run homer to Kiké Hernandez in the sixth that put the game away.The only positive was that Garrett was the only high-leverage reliever that was used.

With games coming up Thursday and Friday, that is significant....