The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have been slated to clash in the National League Division Series for a few days now, but the St. Louis Cardinals’ first postseason opponent was finalized Wednesday by virtue of the Chicago Cubs’ 4-0 Wild Card Game win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
As the start of play approaches Thursday, here’s a look at when and where you can catch this fall’s NLDS action. Updated game times will be posted at MLB.com.
Odds for the Cubs’ Game 1 meeting with the Cardinals had yet to be released at the time of publication, but according to Odds Shark, the Dodgers opened as a 1-2 favorite for Friday’s tilt with the Mets.
New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Fans of pitching should be salivating over the New York Mets’ bicoastal showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Those squads ranked third and first, respectively, in strikeouts during the regular season, and their aces wield some of MLB‘s nastiest stuff.
As always, the Dodgers are led by 2015 strikeout leader and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who went 16-7 with a 2.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP en route to helping L.A. capture an NL West title.
However, the Mets won’t get a break after Kershaw hits the rubber. Zack Greinke and Brett Anderson represent the other two prongs of L.A.’s vicious three-headed pitching monster, one that’s capable of tormenting opposing batters.
The good news for the NL East champs is they can counter with a pitching triumvirate of their own. Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom form a masterful young pitching corps that could take another leap over the course of the postseason.
“We’ve played the Dodgers pretty well,” Mets manager Terry Collins said, per NJ.com’s Mike Vorkunov. “We’ll get ourselves ready this week. If it means you gotta see Kershaw and Greinke in the shadows, they probably gotta see a couple of guys that throw pretty good in the shadows.”
In the end, this one’s going to come down to which team can solve opposing pitching at the plate.
The Dodgers were steadier with a cumulative batting average of .250, which ranked six points higher than New York’s season-long mark of .244. However, the Mets came on strong after integrating Yoenis Cespedes into the lineup following the trade deadline. In September, New York batted .260, which represented a 44-point leap from the team’s dreadful mark of .216 in August.
The Mets are a trendy pick given their up-and-coming status, but the Dodgers finished the season ranked first in the NL in on-base percentage (.326) while producing at more consistent clips. Consider the Dodgers favorites to advance as they enter the NLDS with home-field advantage.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers def. New York Mets in five games
Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The NL Central dominated the regular season, so it’s only fitting two teams from MLB’s most esteemed division will meet in the NLDS.
For the Cardinals, this is familiar territory. They’re seeking to appear in the National League Championship Series for the fifth straight year and capture the franchise’s third World Series title since 2006.
The story differs drastically for the Cubs.
Chicago’s back in the NLDS for the first time since 2008, and it just snapped a nine-game postseason losing streak with Wednesday’s win over the Pirates. In fact, the Cubs’ last win in the NLDS came in 2003, when they defeated the Atlanta Braves in five games to set up an NLCS showdown with the Florida Marlins.
During the regular season, the Cubs ranked third in ERA (3.36) thanks to Jake Arrieta’s brilliance, but the Cardinals’ league-leading mark was so stellar that it clocked in 0.42 points lower at 2.94.
On offense, neither team was particularly impressive over the 162-game slog. St. Louis, though, developed a recipe that allowed it to stymie the opposition on a regular basis.
“Offensively, the team is unconventional—its leading home run hitter (Matt Carpenter) bats leadoff—and ranks in the lower third in the majors in runs scored,” Fox Sports’ Chris Bahr noted.
That may not be a formula generally conducive to traditional postseason success. Having said that, it could be enough to counter the Cubs’ pristine power if Mike Matheny’s pitching staff continues to post absurd numbers.
The Cardinals are a savvy, experienced and deep club that knows how to win games in October, and the NLDS should represent a stepping stone toward more prestigious accomplishments later in the month.
Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals def. Chicago Cubs in four games
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