The NLDS has the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers facing off and the series will start on Friday for the teams in LA with Clayton Kershaw taking on Jacob deGrom in the pitching matchup. Both teams have strong starting pitching and Game 1 will be on at 9:45 pm ET from TBS at Dodger Stadium and it comes as the Cubs and Cardinals are in the other National League Division Series set.
The Dodgers and Mets finished behind the Cubs and Pirates in the overall standings, but since they are division winners they will be matching up in the playoffs. The first game has a great matchup with Clayton Kershaw against deGrom and that could be one of the best matchups of the entire postseason. Both players had strong seasons and the Mets felt that deGrom was the best option to take Game 1 with how he has pitched overall.
Kershaw made it to 300 strikeouts and is a Cy Young candidate and he comes in with a 16-7 record on the season and a 2.13 ERA and he faced off with a 14-8 deGrom who had a 2.54 ERA this season. The Mets had the chance to get home field for this series, but they stumbled a bit at the end and now they will have to travel to play the Dodgers. The second game of the series will be on Saturday and that has another very strong matchup of pitchers.
Noah Syndergaard is taking on Zack Greinke and Greinke comes in after a historic season and he could be the favorite for a Cy Young this year. Greinke has had an ERA under 2.00 for the entire season and he has been fantastic overall, going 19-6 this year with a 1.66 ERA and along with Kershaw the Dodgers have the best one-two punch in the playoffs. Syndergaard has been no slouch and he has a 9-7 record with a 3.24 ERA and he has been solid coming in for the Mets.
The game 3 matchup will be at Citi Field and gives the Mets a playoff game at home for the first time in years. Matt Harvey will face Brett Anderson and that is where the Mets depth will really shine for the team. Harvey comes in after some controversy with his pitch limits and missing a team workout, but he is also a stud and will get the ball for that game. Harvey went 13-8 and had a 2.71 ERA this season.
The Dodgers are considered the favorites in this series and the team is one of the favorites in the NL to make it to the World series. The Cardinals were the number one team in the league this year and they are playing the Cubs after Chicago got past the Pirates in the wild card game. The Mets have Steven Matz as a potential option for Game 4 and the team also could use deGrom again depending on what the series is.
Check here for more on the NLDS and the game schedule and rosters.
