The New York Mets are in the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2006. Their journey to the World Series begins on Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who clinched their third straight NL West title in 2015.
Here are the five things you need to know about the NLDS matchup between the Mets and Dodgers.
5. Clayton Kershaw's Postseason ERA
The left-hander has undoubtedly been the best pitcher in the MLB over the past five seasons, but that hasn't held true in the postseason. He owns a 1-5 record, 5.12 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 11 playoff appearances (eight starts). The Dodgers were leaning on him to get them through the postseason in 2013 and 2014, but Kershaw was unable to get past the St. Louis Cardinals.
He's 0-4 with a 7.15 ERA against the Cardinals in four total starts in the 2013 NLCS and 2014 NLDS.
Well, he won't be facing the Cardinals in the NLDS this year, but the Mets' lineup is nothing to overlook. They led the NL in runs scored during the second half of the season and their pitching is good enough to keep pace with Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
4. The Performance of the Mets' Bullpen as of Late
New York possessed one of the best bullpens in the league earlier this season and it was expected to get even better with the return of Jenrry Mejia. Well, he got suspended again for PED use. They were also expecting left-hander Jerry Blevins to return in the middle of the year, but he re-injured his broken left arm.
On top of that, Alex Torres also couldn't get the job done after coming over in an offseason trade, which forced the Mets to cut him, and Bobby Parnell couldn't get back on track in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
This led to a few moves before and at the trade deadline, but their bullpen ranked 20th in ERA during the second half. General manager Sandy Alderson acquired Tyler Clippard, Addison Reed and Eric O'Flaherty. The Mets will carry 11 pitchers on their NLDS roster, but the bullpen's recent struggles (4.73 ERA in September from 3.73 ERA in August) will certainly be something to keep an eye on.
Clippard's ailing back has been an issue; rookies Sean Gilmartin (four ER in last 6 2/3 innings of relief) and Hansel Robles (four ER in last six appearances) haven't been tremendously reliable in the last couple of months; and the unit doesn't have a reliable left-hander, which has been an issue for the entire season.
Additionally, Jeurys Familia is making his postseason debut as a 25-year-old. Can he handle getting three outs in the ninth in October?
3. The Depth of the Mets' Rotation vs. the Dodgers' Rotation
The Dodgers have Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but who else? Alex Wood and Brett Anderson are decent, but they both have limited postseason experience and their weaknesses have been exposed many times this season.
Anderson will have Game 3 against Matt Harvey and it's unknown who will pitch Game 4 (if necessary), but Kershaw could get the nod on short rest if the Dodgers are in trouble.
With that being said, every Mets' starter (Jacob deGrom, Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz) is making their postseason debut and none are over the age of 27. If Matz starts Game 4, how reliable will he be? He's dealing with back soreness and has made only six MLB starts this season (even though he shut down the Dodgers in his second career start).
The Mets' rotation is deeper, but it comes down to how their youngsters handle the pressure. If New York can split in Los Angeles, they'll be in good shape heading back to Citi Field with Harvey on the mound in Game 3.
The Dodgers' rotation ranked second in the MLB with a 3.24 ERA during the regular season and the Mets' ranked fourth with a 3.44 ERA. However, the Mets' unit was much more balanced whereas Kershaw (2.13 ERA) and Greinke (MLB-leading 1.66 ERA) carried Los Angeles.
2. Rookie Position Players Corey Seager (LAD) and Michael Conforto (NYM) Making Postseason Debuts Too
Seager and Conforto were part of the 2015 MLB season deemed the "Year of the Call-Up" and have impressed ever since their debuts.
The Dodgers will start Seager over veteran Jimmy Rollins because the rookie's offense has been a significant upgrade (.337/.425/.561 with 17 runs scored, 4 home runs and 17 RBIs in 27 games) since his promotion in early September.
Conforto won't play as big a role as Seager will, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com says the outfielder will continue to platoon in left field with Cuddyer. However, he could get a start against Greinke.
Conforto is batting .270/.335/.506 with 30 runs scored, 9 home runs and 26 RBIs in 56 games this season, and if he can contribute alongside Wright, Cespedes, Granderson, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda, the Mets will be in excellent shape.
1. The Series Will Ultimately Come Down to Scoring Despite All the Stellar Pitching Matchups
Can the Dodgers wake up? Can the Mets continue their surge?
Los Angeles ranked 19th in runs scored on the season and the Mets ranked 17th, but the second half difference are the most glaring. New York was third in the MLB in runs scored (led the NL) after the All-Star break while the Dodgers were 28th in the league and 13th in the NL (ahead of only Miami and Atlanta).
Who has the upper hand? New York's offense against two of the top three NL Cy Young candidates or the Dodgers' veteran offense against the Mets' deep, yet young pitching staff?
The scripts have flipped for these two teams. The Dodgers ranked 13th in runs scored (376) and third in OPS (.757) during the first half while the Mets were 28th in runs scored and 29th in OPS. Clearly, Los Angeles has gotten much worse and New York has gotten much better, which is why this is perhaps the most interesting League Division Series of them all.
A number of these games could come down to the battle of the bullpens, where both offenses will look to take advantage.
If you're a bettor, be sure to take the under in most of these games.
