Ohtani and Lindor leading the way as Dodgers-Mets NLCS shifts to NYC for Game 3 on Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) — Everything starts with Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor in this National League Championship Series.

Right at the top of the lineup.

Expected to run 1-2 in NL MVP voting, both leadoff batters have already made a big impact early in their playoff showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.

And they know full well only one of them will reach the World Series.

“I think both of us are in this position where what we did in the regular season is over and what matters is how we produce, what we produce during the postseason,” Ohtani said Tuesday through an interpreter. “I do think we’re perhaps connected in the same sense.”

With the best-of-seven series tied 1-all, the scene shifts to Citi Field for Game 3 on Wednesday night, when Walker Buehler is scheduled to pitch for Los Angeles against Luis Severino.

After the Mets held a casual workout in the late afternoon, Ohtani and the Dodgers took batting practice under the ballpark lights Tuesday evening.

Ohtani said his impression of Lindor “is that he’s a really good guy. He smiles a lot. I do feel like he’s leading the club as well.”

Lindor was asked what he admires in particular about his ultra-talented Dodgers counterpart.

“I admire his shoes. He’s got cool cleats,” the Mets' star shortstop said, drawing laughter from reporters in the interview room.

“I admire the ability to stay within himself. I mean, he’s a guy that, from day one, has had a lot of pressure on him. There’s been a lot of eyes and cameras on him, and his ability to stay within himself and to not get too big and to stay the course, that, to me, that’s brilliant. He’s done a fantastic job of everywhere he’s gone, he has managed to maneuver himself the right way.”

All those qualities were on display as the teams split the first two games at Dodger Stadium.

Ohtani, mostly held in check this month during his first postseason, had an RBI single early in the series opener and rocketed another single off the right-center fence that led to two more runs. He also drew a walk and scored twice as Los Angeles rolled to a 9-0 rout.

Lindor, who was 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 1, immediately took his turn the next day when he launched a leadoff homer to cap an eight-pitch at-bat after fouling off four straight offerings from Ryan Brasier.

The drive ended a 33-inning scoreless streak for Dodgers pitchers that equaled a postseason record.

An inning later, Los Angeles walked Lindor intentionally to load the bases for Mark Vientos, who hit a grand slam that gave the Mets a 6-0 lead on the way to a 7-3 victory in Game 2.

With that, New York was right back in the series.

“I just love getting things started,” Lindor said. “You just get the crowd and team going.”

Ohtani also has taken to his leadoff role, which used to be an unusual spot to place such a powerful hitter.

Not anymore, though.

“I think we have complete solace in knowing that giving our best hitter five cracks to be instant offense, and also believing that the guys in the bottom of the order can create some havoc and get on base. And I thought we did that really well in Game 1," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

"Just give him opportunities. ... I can’t predict the game. So I feel good about what I can predict is Shohei hitting 1 and getting the most of the at-bats from our offense.”

The temperature at first pitch Wednesday night is expected to be just above 50 degrees and falling. It was a pleasant 73 degrees for each of the first two games in Los Angeles.

“Obviously, the East Coast/West Coast, LA/New York thing is pretty cool. I imagine it’s going to be rocking here tomorrow. That’s what excites me more than anything is the noise and the excitement. And the kind of live-or-die feeling on every pitch is something I’ve really grown to love,” Buehler said.

“I love pitching in the cold, personally. I don’t know why or how. When I was in college (at Vanderbilt), I think I had the first 10 starts that were under 30 degrees one year. So something I’m used to, or at least used to be used to.”

Buehler went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts this season after missing 2023 following his second Tommy John surgery. He took the loss in Game 3 of the Division Series at San Diego, but gave up all six runs in one inning and was a little unfortunate during that outing.

“I feel confident. So I think that probably was one of my biggest strengths for a long time was my confidence, I guess,” Buehler said. “At times this year that’s kind of wavered somewhat. The past six or eight (starts), I’ve kind of felt like I’ve been building blocks of some kind. And hoping to keep that going.”

Severino is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two playoff starts after going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA during his first season with the Mets. He has thrown 194 innings including the postseason this year, and will be pitching on nine days' rest.

“I think my arm, right now, feels the same way, feels good. I just need to stick to my routine,” Severino said.

The right-hander said he would go back and watch how Padres pitcher Yu Darvish had success against Ohtani during their Division Series.

“He’s been a big-game pitcher. There’s some guys that have history with him,” Roberts said. “We’ll be ready for whatever he has planned for us.”

Roberts said second baseman Gavin Lux was feeling much better and is expected back in the lineup Wednesday night. Lux missed Game 2 because of a right hip flexor injury that forced him out of the series opener in the seventh inning.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza talks to the media, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani adjusts his microphone as he talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers players throw during a workout Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers players throw during a workout Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor celebrates after reaching first base on a throwing error from Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy during the sixth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani talks to the media Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in New York ahead of Game 3 of the baseball NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of the European Union and six Gulf nations met for an inaugural summit on Wednesday against a backdrop of turmoil in the Middle East and struggles to find a unified position on the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia.

The summit was expected to last just a few hours and encompass everything from visas and trade to the situation in the Middle East, and was unlikely to yield more than general commitments to improve cooperation.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the summit was “long overdue” and added that “the economic ties between the European Union and the Gulf countries need to be strengthened."

“They are there, but they have the potential to be developed much, much further,” he said.

Officials said the EU would also raise human rights issues with their visitors, which includes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The United States , U.N. and others have alleged that aides of Prince Mohammed and other Saudi officials killed U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose columns for The Washington Post were critical of the crown prince.

"Our outrage and revulsion at this horrific violation of human rights cannot be set aside for the sake of quick deals with dictators. EU leaders must confront brutal authoritarianism wherever it exists," EU Greens legislator Daniel Freund said.

The 27-nation EU has long had relations with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which include Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.

The nations of the European Union already find it challenging to find full alignment on Israel's wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, and it will be difficult to find a strong common statement with GCC leaders, officials familiar with the meeting said.

EU members are also in disagreement regarding relations with Russia and Ukraine, with nations like Hungary and Slovakia holding vastly different views on Moscow's actions than much of the other EU states. At the same time, several GCC nations have much better contact with Moscow compared to EU members.

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

European Council President Charles Michel, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, welcome United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum during an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)

Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attend an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council roundtable meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shakes hands with Netherland's Prime Minister Dick Schoof during an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council roundtable meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Council President Charles Michel, right, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, welcome Bahrain's Prime Minister Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Johanna Geron, Pool Photo via AP)