The Dodgers had the perfect report in baseball, and the ones 111 wins entitle them to a first-round bye, the weekend off. While the staff prepares itself each mentally and bodily for the NLDS, all the approach throughout the nation the Padres will tackle the Mets in the wild card around.
After the business time limit, it turned into beautiful clean that this might be the matchup for the alternative to tackle the most sensible seed in the National League, or no less than one thing find it irresistible. The Mets and Braves just about had the 2d and fourth seeds locked up, it was once only a case who was once going to win the department. With a sweep in the season’s ultimate weekend, Atlanta seized its 5th immediately NL East name, pushing the Mets to the wild card around.
Meanwhile, the Padres after including Josh Bell, Brandon Drury, Josh Hader, and maximum particularly Juan Soto, turned into the simple favourite for the 5th seed. While via slumps of Soto, Bell, and Hader, San Diego did its perfect to play all the way down to the ranges of the Phillies and Brewers, making it a three-team race for 2 playoff spots, neither was once competent sufficient to take merit of the opening.
Padre-Mets is the wild card collection with the greatest hole in wins between the two groups. New York received a staggering 101 video games, an excellent quantity in a vacuum, a lot much less for a non-division winner. The Padres are 89-73.
Whether it’s dealing with the 101-win staff or the divisional foe coming off an incredible highway collection win, the Dodgers’ opponent can be a staff Los Angeles can’t manage to pay for to take evenly. Let’s take a look at every staff’s weaknesses and strengths forward of a possible matchup with the Dodgers.
New York Mets
The Mets are, as you could possibly be expecting from any 100-win staff, an attractive whole unit with out many evident flaws, and if now not for the very good efficiency of the Atlanta Braves would’ve been department winners as neatly,
Starling Marte and Darin Ruf battled accidents down the stretch however are lively for New York for the wild card collection. Their availability provides the Mets an attractive deep lineup.
Brandon Nimmo simply posted his fourth season in a five-year stretch with an OPS+ of no less than 130, and stays one of the extra underrated avid gamers in baseball heading into loose company this low season. The left-hander is an out of this world leadoff hitter, and loses little to no worth in opposition to southpaws on the mound,
However, the Mets lineup as an entire hasn’t produced the similar numbers in opposition to left-handed pitching as they’ve in opposition to righties, regardless that New York remains to be above common in opposition to lefties.
- vs RHP: .756 OPS, 119 wRC+
- vs. LHP: .717 OPS, 109 wRC+
The Dodgers rotation can be very southpaw-heavy in the postseason with Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, and Tyler Anderson getting the ball in every of the first 3 video games, which warrants a take a look at any doable opponent’s season splits.
Pete Alonso had a regular Pete Alonso 12 months, slugging 40 bombs and using in a whopping 131 runs. He and Lindor, who posted a 6.8 fWAR after a quite underwhelming 2021, led the approach, however two hitters does now not a lineup make, as the Angels know beautiful neatly.
The Mets lineup noticed just about all of their complementary items posting superb seasons. Jeff McNeil narrowly beat out Freddie Freeman for the NL batting name (hitting .326), and low season acquisitions Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar reinforced above-average hitting strains. As a lot as Darin Ruf underwhelmed, Daniel Vogelbach crushed as time limit pickups. Vogelbach has a .830 OPS in 55 video games with New York.
The strength of the Mets rotation just about is going with out announcing with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer principally wearing a bonus in opposition to any one-two punch that may be thrown in the market, even the Dodgers’ Urías and Kershaw.
However, their again finish may be beautiful forged with Chris Bassitt as one of the higher quantity 3 hands in all of baseball and confirmed to be an ideal acquisition. Taijuan Walker principally posted a rather lesser model of Chris Bassitt with fewer innings.
For up to Edwin Diaz has confirmed to be unhittable along with his 118 strikeouts in the common season, past him and Adam Otavinno, this bullpen doesn’t have fairly the intensity you’d need, even though that’s true to some degree to principally each ‘pen.
Seth Lugo, Drew Smith, and Trevor Williams have all been quite stable as the trio at the back of Otavinno and Diaz, however none has been actually dominant.
Overall, this Mets squad was once 3rd in runs scored, and 3rd in ERA. There isn’t a obtrusive weak spot you’ll level to, and there’s a explanation why they’re really extensive favorites in opposition to the Padres, however their manufacturing hit in opposition to left-handed pitching would possibly end up pivotal in a possible collection with the Dodgers.
As a ways as beginning pitching is worried, they line up beautiful neatly to at worst be a push compared to LA. The Dodgers’ last state of affairs is definitely some distance clear of the Mets, however Dave Roberts would possibly in reality have extra guns at his disposal one via 9 out of the bullpen.
San Diego Padres
If now not the Mets, a well-recognized foe in the department rival Padres will come the Dodgers approach in the subsequent around. Don’t let that 89 wins quantity idiot you, it is a ambitious staff that has underperformed, however may just pass on a run at any time.
A two-headed monster additionally headlines this lineup with NL MVP candidate Manny Machado, and the ambitious Soto, who regardless of the struggles that concerned the greatest droop of his profession since becoming a member of the Padres, nonetheless had an 130 OPS+ in his time in San Diego.
Bell has achieved just about not anything since he got here onboard, and Drury has regressed somewhat as neatly. Overall, this lineup’s most sensible bats can compete with each the Mets and Dodgers, but it surely lacks the intensity of both one.
A deep postseason run possibly comes to one of Soto or Machado, no less than, if now not each, getting scorching sufficient to hold the lineup.
Unlike the Mets, the Padres have principally even splits in opposition to righties and lefties, although at an inferior stage of manufacturing. San Diego has a .698 OPS and 101 wRC+ in opposition to right-handed pitchers, and a .705 OPS and 103 wRC+ in opposition to southpaws.
As a ways as beginning pitching is worried, it’s just about the similar tale. Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, and Blake Snell can pass toe to toe and even most likely outpitch virtually someone in a given recreation, however general, the Padres’ pitching is just a step or two at the back of the Mets and Dodgers.
A 3-game collection is a vital step from one wild card recreation, but it surely stays an attractive unpredictable situation, even in a sequence the place there’s a clean merit.
Over in the bullpen, the Padres have a tight quantity of dependable names, after a fairly shaky begin to his profession clear of Milwaukee, Hader appears to be again on course. Nick Martinez has flourished in his new position out of the ‘pen, with a 2.67 ERA in over 50 innings as a reliever.
With the Mets there’d be no argument, that’s merely a commentary, however the Padres can stack up beautiful decently with just about some other wild card staff on both league, although a ball membership like the Blue Jays or Cardinals is in truth awesome at the second.
Playing a divisional rival is all the time a tough factor in the postseason, and for a staff with the ambition of the Dodgers, you’ll’t grow to be too choosy about fighters. Whether it’s the Padres or the Mets, one could make the argument that the Dodgers will face the greatest problem out of any staff that earned a bye in the Division Series.