Did the Mets really prove they’re a threat to the Dodgers?
By Kevin Larson
The Mets have one weakness to their game and it’s the drop-off in offensive production they see when a lefty is on the mound. They have a season-long wRC+ of 112, tying them for fifth in the majors with the Houston Astros. They have a 116 wRC+ against righties, second in the majors behind only the Dodgers. Against lefties that wRC+ drops to 103, making them the 16th-best team against lefties behind and barely edging out teams like the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies. They’ve actually got a solid record against lefties overall (27-19 vs. LHP), but much of that’s more of a compliment to their own pitching staff keeping them in games rather than out-slugging their opponents on a nightly basis.
The Dodgers don’t lack left-handed starters at all. Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Tyler Anderson, and Andrew Heaney will all be heavily featured against the Mets should these two teams end up facing each other in the postseason. As of now, the Dodgers would open up vs the winner of 4-5 series (Atlanta vs. Philadelphia) and the Mets would get the winner of the 3-6 series (St. Louis vs. San Diego), so for all intents and purposes these two would only meet in the NLCS unless the Mets slip and let the Braves win the NL East (putting them in the matchup vs Philadelphia with the winner headed to LA).
Somehow, some way, these two seem to be headed on a collision course in the playoffs. At which point, the Mets will need to prove that they can do enough damage against the Dodgers’ lefties to win a series. That seems like it’d be plausible after taking four of seven from LA this season, but the postseason is a different animal. And when it comes to exploiting matchups, the Dodgers may just have the edge.