NLCS Preview: Three keys for Chicago Cubs, New York Mets

At the beginning of any given baseball season, it usually does not serve as a surprise to see big market teams reach success on a yearly basis. 2015 was no exception in the National League, with the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs all securing postseason berths.

Yet after two hard-fought series’ two big market teams are set to battle it out in the National League Championship Series, as both the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs are searching for some long lost postseason magic in what will be a pennant run for one of these two teams.

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The Cubs and the Mets did meet seven times throughout the 2015 season, and the outcome did not fair well for those in the big apple, as the Cubs would put together a four-game sweep of the Mets at Wrigley Field in May, followed by a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field in early July. These games were, however, played prior to the Mets’ slew of trade deadline acquisitions, including the arrival of Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who gave the lackluster Mets’ offense a much needed spark.

New York rode their way to a 90-72 campaign, securing their first 90-win season since their NLCS appearance in 2006. Much of this success can be attributed to a young, hard-throwing pitching staff that looks to pose a new challenge for Chicago hitters. Led by all-star starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, the Mets’ young and complete rotation is also expected to send Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz to the mound in the upcoming NLCS.

Chicago, on the other hand, is coming off of an outstanding power performance in the National League Division Series against the 100 win St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs won the series 3-1, scoring 15 of their 20 runs in the series via home run, including nine home runs combined in Games 3 and 4. Putting the Cubs’ ability to hit for power aside, the better match-ups in the series can be seen in the pitching staff, where the Cubs have announced Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta to start off the series in Games 1 and 2 respectively.

New York has announced that Harvey will start off the series in Game 1, yet have not decided who will start in the following games. Mets’ ace deGrom started the decisive Game 5 against the Dodgers, with fellow starter Syndergaard also working an inning in relief. This perhaps puts New York at a slight disadvantage at the beginning of the series, due to their NLDS lasting a game longer.

Three Keys for Chicago:

Lester and Arrieta posting quality starts

While it may seem like an obvious need for the Cubs, the margin of error for the two rotation headliners is even smaller in New York, as the skill of the Mets’ rotation will make scoring runs early on in games an issue. That being said, Lester and Arrieta have proven their ability to keep their team in games, but in the NLCS, it’s merely a must.

Javier Baez filling the void

With Addison Russell injured and out for the NLCS, the Cubs will need contribution from 22-year old middle infielder Javier Baez, who proved to be a spark plug in the Cubs’ 6-4 win in Game 4 against St. Louis. Baez’ bat shouldn’t pose any difficulty matching Russell’s contributions, but his glove will be on the spotlight, and the Cubs will need solid middle infield defense to stay in games and to protect their pitching staff.

Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo

The two Chicago sluggers were virtually invisible in the first two games of the NLDS, and after emerging offensively in the latter two games of the series, it appears as if Bryant and Rizzo have shaken off any playoff anxiety and are ready to perform again. Yet in a series that pits the sluggers against a pitching staff that had the 4th best team ERA in the regular season, the two young corner infielders will be expected to get the offense going, especially in the event of a pitcher’s duel, which is very feasible in this series.

Three Keys for New York:

deGromination

Even though the Mets’ ace will not be able to pitch until Game 3 at Wrigley Field most likely, the Mets will need big outings from deGrom if they hope to keep up with the Cubs, especially on the road, where the Mets have struggled prominently in 2015. This is also vital considering deGrom’s struggles against the Cubs in his career, going 0-2 in three starts, posting a pedestrian 6.46 ERA with nine walks and ten strikeouts in just 15.1 innings.

Continued contribution from Daniel Murphy

Excluding Game 3 of the Los Angeles-New York NLDS, offense was rather tough to come by, and against a phenomenal pitching staff in the Dodgers, the Mets were able to get the timely contributions they needed. Many of these contributions came off the bat of infielder Daniel Murphy, who put together a stellar performance in the NLDS, accumulating five runs, seven hits, three home runs and five driven in. In a series where both teams were looking for offense, Murphy was New York’s answer, and continued contribution can spell danger for the Cubs.

Shutdown relief innings

Facing a team that had the most walk off wins in baseball in 2015, the Mets are given a challenge that puts even more stress on their bullpen, as the Cubs have proven their ability score late and come back. While the Mets’ rotation should be able to keep their team in every game in this series, a slugger heavy lineup can signal danger to the New York bullpen. Mets’ skipper Terry Collins has already shown his will to go to starters in relief, and shall any games get out of hand, that is certainly a feasible outcome.

This series will prove to be the toughest challenge for either side yet, but a fastball-crushing Cubs lineup, resilient pitching staff and routinely outstanding management may prove to be too much for New York, who even with Cespedes and Murphy hitting well, do not have the offense to keep up with the resurgent Cubs over a best of seven series.

Prediction: Cubs in 6

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