NO SHORTAGE OF POWER ARMS IN NL SERIES
Friday brings a quadruple-header of baseball playoff action, with both American League division series continuing and the National League series getting underway. The Star’s Richard Griffin makes his NLDS picks
NO. 1 CARDINALS (100-62) VS. NO. 4 CUBS (97-65)
THE SERIES
Game 1 @ StL. Friday, 6:30 p.m. — LH Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34) vs. RH John Lackey (13-10, 2.77)
Game 2 @ StL. Saturday, 5:30 p.m. — RH Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 3.95) vs. LH Jaime Garcia (10-6, 2.43)
Game 3 @ ChC. Monday, time to be announced — RH Michael Wacha (17-7, 3.38) vs. RH Jake Arrieta (22-6, 1.77)
Game 4 (if necessary) @ ChC. Tuesday, time to be announced — RH Lance Lynn (12-11, 3.03) vs. RH Jason Hammel (10-7, 3.74)
Game 5 (if necessary) @ StL. Thursday, time to be announced — Pitchers to be announced
Road to the division series: The Cardinals always seem to play their regular seasons in cruise control, no matter the injuries to the pitching staff and to position players. They always seem to come out on top in the NL Central. Manager Mike Matheny has never been accorded the recognition of being a good 21st
century manager, but he wins. The Cubs and Pirates were the secondand third-best teams in the NL, and now the Cubs must play the best with only one moving on. Life’s not fair.
Starters: The Cubs would seem to have the advantage with the ability to pitch LH Jon Lester and RH Jake Arrieta in three of the five games. The Cards start with the battle-hardened RH John Lackey, who is erratic in personality and skill. The two bullpens become very important when the secondary starters are out there. Edge: Cubs.
Bullpen: In the battle of the closers, the Cards have a big advantage with RH Trevor Rosenthal (2-4, 2.10, 48 saves) in both experience and performance. The Cards have balance between left and right in the setup role. The Cubs have RH Hector Rondon in the post-season spotlight for the first time with a 6-4 record, a 1.67 ERA and 30 saves. If it comes down to it, Cards rule. Edge: Cardinals.
Lineup: The Cubs are youthful and talented with great hitters like 1B Anthony Rizzo, 3B Kris Bryant, C Kyle Schwarber and SS Addison Russell. They’ve handled pressure like vets. The Cards are blue-collar and professional, but if C Yadier Molina, nursing a thumb injury, is n’t effective with the bat, it’s a big hole. Edge: Cubs
Intangibles: Wrigley Field will be amped up for games 3 and 4 and Cubs manager Joe Maddon is a lightning-rod for much of the attention. The ’80s movie Back to the Fu
ture 2 predicted that the Cubs would win the 2015 World Series. Edge: Cubs
Pick to win: Cubs in four. NO. 2 DODGERS (92-70) VS. NO. 3 METS (90-72) THE SERIES Game 1 @
L.A. Friday, 9:30 p.m.—RH Jacob deGrom (14-8, 2.54) vs. LH Clayton Kershaw (16-7, 2.13)
Game 2 @ L.A. Saturday, 12:45 p.m.— RH Noah Syndergaard (9-7, 3.24) vs. RH Zack Greinke (19-3, 1.66)
Game 3 @ N.Y. Monday, time to be announced — LH Brett Anderson (10-9, 3.69) vs. RH Matt Harvey (13-8, 2.71)
Game 4 (if necessary) @ N.Y. Tuesday, time to be announced — Pitchers to be announced
Game 5 (if necessary) @ L.A. Thursday, time to be announced — Pitchers to be announced
Road to the division series: At the
trade deadline at the end of July, the Mets were a team with a top-end pitching rotation that struggled offensively. They reached out and acquired Yoenis Cespedes at the deadline and the team took off. When the Nationals started to struggle, it left the division wide open for a runaway. At the end of the season, the NL East was a combined 62 games below .500. The Dodgers rode the arms of LH Clayton Kershaw and RH Zack Greinke and an offence that doesn’t really scare anyone.
Starters: This should be a series dominated by pitching — veteran arms for the Dodgers and the exuberance of youth from the Mets. Rarely has there been as dynamic a duo on paper as Kershaw and Greinke, but Kershaw has struggled in playoffs past. For the Mets, deGrom was an all-star hero, while Syndergaard has lived up to his blue-chip advance billing. Edge: Dodgers.
Bullpen: The Mets have power arms coming out of the pen led by closer RH Jeurys Familia, with 43 saves and a 1.85 ERA. They acquired RH Tyler Clippard at the deadline and his sublime presence as a former closer helps. The Dodgers rely on closer RH Kenley Jansen (2-1, 2.41, 36 saves) along with veteran setup men LH J.P. Howell and RH Joel Peralta. The Dodgers pen has some young power arms. Edge: Mets.
Lineup: The Mets turned it around with a red-hot CF Yoenis Cespedes and a finally healthy 3B David Wright. 1B Lucas Duda and RF Curtis Granderson add some pop. The Dodgers have been disappointed by the season of CF Joc Pederson, but are led by 1B Adrian Gonzalez and 3B Justin Turner, plus hope for a return to full health by RF Yasiel Puig. Edge: Mets
Intangibles: You can’t just say that because Kershaw has struggled in the post-season, he will struggle again. That’s a tough pair that the Mets will face in three of the five games. The Mets played in the worst division in baseball by a long way. Edge: Dodgers
Pick to win: Dodgers in five.