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Carlos Mendoza of the Mets explains the decision to change the lineup before the competitive game


Carlos Mendoza of the Mets explains the decision to change the lineup before the competitive game

The Mets' season is on the line, and if they fail to defeat the Dodgers in Game 5, their season will end Friday night at Citi Field.

Before the decisive winning game, coach Carlos Mendoza changed the line-up slightly.

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Jeff McNeil, who suffered a broken wrist, will be at second base in his first postseason start after being named to the NLCS squad. Since then, he has scored narrowly in Games 1, 3 and 4, going 0-3 in those appearances.

“We're trying to bring a different look to our lineup,” Mendoza said as he went with McNeil at second on Friday. “There’s an extra left-hander in there today.”

Jesse Winker, who pinch-hit for Francisco Alvarez in the eighth inning on Thursday, is back in the lineup at DH. He replaces JD Martinez, who went 0-for-4 in the final two games of this series. Winker moves to hole No. 5 while Starling Marte moves to sixth in the lineup.

Tyrone Taylor, who was not in the starting line-up in Thursday's defeat, will also be back in the squad.

Brandon Nimmo moves up to No. 2 and Mark Vientos moves back to No. 3 in the rankings.

“(The Dodgers) only have one left-handed hitter out of the bullpen,” Mendoza said of his decision to bring down Vientos. “I didn’t want to give them the east lane so they could shoot the lefty at any time.”

Here is the complete lineup for Game 5 of the NLCS:

1. Francisco Lindor – SS

2. Brandon Nimmo – LF

3. Mark Vientos – 3B

4. Pete Alonso – 1B

5. Jesse Winker – DH

6. Starling Marte – RF

7. Tyrone Taylor – CF

8. Jeff McNeil – 2B

9. Francisco Alvarez – C

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