So much of this season, especially the last 4 months, has been about fun, about characters, about an endle s feel-good vibe that invaded the Mets clubhouse around June 1 and never let go. There were comebacks aplenty both in the standings, Willians Astudillo Jersey and in the many games that allowed them to rise in those standings. Fun is a big part of baseball. Fun has its place. But this is no longer about positive vibes and cheerful mojo. Theres only so much that a purple fast-food mascot can do, especially when OMG has so swiftly turned to SMH. The Mets are now halfway to the aby s, and they face their latest must-win adventure Thursday night, Game 4 of the NLCS at Citi Field, . Francisco Alvarez had a rough night in the Mets 8-0 Game 3 lo s to the Dodgers on Oct. 16, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Carlos Mendoza would surely prefer to channel Darrell Royal, the old Texas Longhorns coach, who famously said, Dance with the one who brung ya. In fact, le s than 20 minutes after this slaughter was over, he literally paraphrased it. The guys out there got us to this point, he said. Explore More And look: part of why Mendoza had such a great rookie year as a manager is that he is unfailingly loyal. The players know he has their backs. He doesnt make lineup switches out of panic. But this isnt panic. The Mets can no longer afford to go with Royals credo, or Mendozas. Too much is at stake. The lineup for Game 4 should look different than the one he ran out for Game 3. But he said with absolute conviction that this will not happen. Francisco Alvarez is the obvious candidate to get a rest. His second-inning error led to the first two unearned runs and cast a pall over an electric crowd of 43,883 that desperately wanted to serve as the Mets wingman Wednesday. Carlos Mendoza walks through the dugout before the Mets Game 3 lo s to the Dodgers. Getty Images J.D. Martinez #28 of the New York Mets reacts after drawing a walk in the second inning of the Mets Game 3 lo s. Getty Images He also struck out in the bottom of the inning with one out and the bases loaded, when even a sacrifice fly would have reengaged the ballpark. He has now left 10 runners on in the last two games. Hes young and hes scuffling. Luis Torrens, his backup, is not Pudge Rodriguez and has only six hits since the first of August. But sometimes a day off is a nece sary thing. Follow The Posts coverage of the Mets playoff run: Hes a good hitter, man, a good player, Mendoza said of Alvarez. Hell come around. So no thought of going with Torrens? Alvys playing tomorrow, he said. So thats that. And the J.D. Martinez/Jose Iglesias DH/second base combo, which sure seems to have reached the point of diminishing returns, will also return to Game 4. As with Alvarez, the Mets dont exactly have Luis Arraez and Yordan Alvarez ready to replace them. But Jeff McNeil (a suming hes healed enough to play defense) and Je se Winker ought to be viable alternatives. Except Mendoza already shut that down. Were facing [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, Mendoza said. Look at his reverse splits against right-handers. And sure, thats a fair point. Theres no obvious advantage to weighing a lineup against him with lefties. Jose Iglesias reaches on an infield single during the second inning of the Mets Game 3 lo s to the Dodgers. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post This may sound like someone whos a slave to analytics, but weve seen Mendozas work all year. Its not that, not at all. If he displays a weakne s for anything here, its a preponderance of trust. Martinez and Iglesias were fundamental to the Mets turnaround. Martinezs profe sionalism and leadership helped drag them from their springtime dregs. Iglesias energy opened a window and let in a gust of fresh air within minutes of his arrival in June. And he managed to keep it up the rest of the year. But Martinez hit .109 from Sept. 1 on, and he has zero extra-base hits in the postseason. Iglesias has started to regre s to the mean in this series, flailing with men on base, and on defense he could have made a play on Alvarezs wide throw in the second and didnt, and his error very nearly opened the door to a Dodgers rally in Game 2. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Nobody is saying Alvarez, Martinez and Iglesias should be cast aside and smothered in mothballs. But the Mets have now been outscored 17-0 in their two lo ses in this series, and none of them were integral to their Game 2 win. It feels like a shake-up, even if just for one game, might be beneficial. Mendoza disagrees. And his is the vote that counts. Someones going to step up and get the big hit for us, Mendoza insisted, and thats entirely on brand. He may not use the same rose-colored, Polyannaish words that Aaron Boone favors but a year with Mendy the manager has revealed that hell fight on behalf of his guys every bit as fiercely as Boone does, or anyone else. Its part of the reason the Mets are here. It is a good quality to have as a skipper. But so is this: knowing when to alter the che sboard. Joe Torre in 1996 famously benched Tino Martinez, Paul ONeill and Wade Boggs in the World Series, three guys whod absolutely driven him to the dance. We remember that because it worked. And if Mendozas devotion to his guys bears out, well remember that, too. But it has to work. Paul Campbell Jersey