Sean Manaea shuts down Shohei Ohtani, helping the Mets quiet the Dodgers' bats in Game 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Manaea may have put the Mets in a good position Monday just by the way he handled the Dodgers' leadoff hitter.

Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against the Mets left-hander, which was certainly a key – but not everything – to containing this scary Dodgers lineup.

“He's just one of the guys in the lineup and I tried to do my job and get zeroes,” Manaea said after the Mets' 7-3 win in Game 2 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. “(Ohtani) is very talented and I was just trying to get to the next guy.”

Manaea allowed two earned runs on two hits and four walks over five innings. Max Muncy hit a home run against him in the fifth before Manaea's walk to Mookie Betts in the sixth sparked the Dodgers' second run.

“(Manaea) not only moved forward, but stayed in attack,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “A perfect example was the way he chased Ohtani for the first few shots. I thought everything would work.”

Brandon Nimmo's barking left foot is being treated on a daily basis, but right now it's not enough of a problem to keep him out of the Mets' lineup.

According to Mendoza, the outfielder has been suffering from plantar fasciitis since May and aggravated the injury during the NLDS against the Phillies. On Sunday, Nimmo was taken out of the game in the ninth inning for a pinch-hitter with the Mets trailing by nine runs.

Mendoza said the injury bothers Nimmo the most when he slows down while jogging, but running at full speed isn't a problem.

“He needs to continue to receive treatment,” Mendoza said. “He will still need to take medication and walk day by day.”

Mendoza officially named Luis Severino the Mets' starting pitcher for Game 3 on Wednesday. The right-hander flew back to New York before the first pitch. The Dodgers will counter with Walker Buehler.