Francisco Lindor gave the Mets a bold Game 2 tip

LOS ANGELES — The Mets looked dead on Sunday, as they often do when they dig themselves holes.

Their pitching was knocked down. Their beating was silent. Their baserunning was bizarre.

The Mets, as they often do when climbing out of these holes, immediately found a pulse on Monday, and as is often the case, it was Francisco Lindor who hit the chest with the paddles.

The leadoff hitter has consistently breathed life into the lineup and did so once again in a 7-3 win in NLCS Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.

The Los Angeles pitching staff had strung together 33 consecutive scoreless innings, tying a postseason record set by the Orioles in 1966.

Against weapons that looked untouchable the night before, Lindor made sure the record wasn't broken.

With a masterful swing that was part guts, part artistry, Lindor fought for seven pitches before sending the eighth pitch, a cutter across the plate, into the Mets' bullpen in right field.

That first run “just gave me a little sigh of relief,” said Sean Manaea, who could speak for the entire dugout and had a lead the Mets' staff didn't want to give up.

Lindor set the tone not just with his home runs, but by fighting for every pitch.

He worked against Dodgers opener Ryan Brasier, fouling out four consecutive offers.

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One of them lost his leg and Lindor had to walk in pain.

When he returned to the batter's box, he became the first Met to lead off a postseason game with a home run since Curtis Granderson in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.

“I was just trying to have a good swing and get the guys going,” said Lindor, who managed not to smile when asked about tackling the Dodgers win . “(Reporters) did a great job of not mentioning it to me, so I didn’t really know.”

When Lindor was given a chance, he came through.

He didn't stand a chance in his next plate appearance when the Dodgers intentionally sent him on the bases with two outs, and it was Mark Vientos who came through with the grand slam that lessened, if not eliminated, the drama from the rest of the day.

Vientos struggled with the same type of shot defense that Lindor invented: He fouled five pitches before drilling the ninth pitch of the contest over the centerfield wall.

“Not just because of the home run, but because of the way he attacked it,” Carlos Mendoza said of Lindor’s opening moment. “I fouled a few pitches, laid up a few break balls, got a pitch and pushed it forward to set the tone.”

Lindor, who dealt with a bad back and played every day, reached base twice in five plate appearances and continues to play solid shortstop.

While Dodgers fans serenade Shohei Ohtani with chants of “MVP” with every at-bat, the likely runner-up for the award is showing why he is at least the Mets’ MVP.