Mets vs. Dodgers Poll Question: Who will win Game 5 of NLDS?

By Nick Ziegler | Oct 14, 2015

The New York Mets will be facing off with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS in an elimination game on Thursday night.

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Besides an offensive outburst from the Mets and Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS, this has been a pretty low-scoring series as expected. The Mets were able to steal Game 1 in Los Angeles, as Clayton Kershaw’s postseason woes continued in the opening game of the series.

The Dodgers were able to bounce back in a must-win Game 2 at home behind a strong start from arguably the best pitcher of 2015, Zack Greinke. Game 2 also had some controversy in the Dodgers’ win, as a slide by Chase Utley broke the leg of Ruben Tejada and was also the turning point of the game for the Dodgers, who went on to have a big inning.

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In the first playoff game in the history of Citi Field, Matt Harvey took the mound for the Mets in front of an electric crowd. Harvey didn’t pitch particularly well in the win, but a 13-run outburst was plenty of run support despite the off start from Harvey.

The Mets were unable to close out the Dodgers in Game 4 against the Dodgers, as Steven Matz was mediocre, and Kershaw was finally able to get the playoff monkey off his back. Kershaw was able to get the win for the Dodgers and force a Game 5 back home in Los Angeles.

Game 5 will have the potential to be one of the best pitchers duels in recent playoff history, as Greinke will be facing Jacob deGrom.

It’s hard to imagine deGrom as an underdog after totaling a 14-8 record with an ERA of 2.54 in the regular season, but that goes to show how great Greinke has been this season. In 2015, Greinke totaled a 19-3 record with a 1.66 ERA.

With the starting pitching matchup being so even, this game may very well come down to whose bullpen is able to perform better after the starters leave the game. The fun of a win or go home Game 5 is that it will pretty much be all hands on deck in the bullpen.

Both teams have a few hitters that are doing very well in the series, as Daniel Murphy has provided the power for the Mets’ offense with two home runs against Kershaw. For the Dodgers, it has been former Met, Justin Turner who has performed well with a few clutch hits.

With both teams proving to be pretty evenly matched, this game’s outcome could ultimately be decided by home-field advantage. Both fans of the Mets and Dodgers have been very vocal in the series so far, and Los Angeles will be rocking on Thursday night. The Mets lack playoff experience and a wild crowd in Dodgers Stadium may rattle the Mets. The Mets could also not be phased by playing and elimination game on the road and advance to the NLCS.

One with that is for sure in Game 5 is that it will be an exciting game with the season on the line.

Let us know who you think will be advancing to the NLCS by voting below!

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