Dodgers the focus for Kershaw, not personal redemption

They begin the National League Division Series against the Mets Friday night in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.

USA Today Sports’ Ted Berg breaks down the NL playoffs, including who has the edge to make it to the World Series. As is customary in the playoffs, truly anything can happen in a division series. The Dodgers were in town and took the first two games of a four-game series at Citi Field, and the Mets were floundering at 49-48, hitting just.233/.297/.355 as a team while averaging just 3.41 runs per game. But he has never delivered two very bad outings in the same series, and if the Mets want to move on, they are going to have to beat him twice.

The New York Mets have an opportunity to make a statement Friday night, and if they are smart, they will follow the lead of the Chicago Cubs.

Cespedes performed so well after joining the Mets that he started to generate a few buzz as an National League MVP candidate despite being in the league only the final two months of the season. The Pirates were the Cardinals’ next victims in 2013, and last season the Redbirds knocked off the Dodgers before eventually falling in the NLCS. You have to pitch well now because it is all about small sample size.

Welcome to the Mets’ wild, too-good-to-be-true journey, which started in spring training, when no one respected them, and now lands at the doorstep of the NL Division Series, where everyone finds themselves repeating the same scouting report.

The Dodgers have a similar dynamic, with youngster Corey Seager accompanied in the lineup by vets Jimmy Rollins, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Eithier, and Carl Crawford. The Dodgers are weighing the option of starting Kershaw in Game 4, barring a sweep, on three days rest so how he performs in Game 1 will play a big factor in their decision. This is also contingent on if they are leading the series or behind in the series, but it is a possibility to watch for. For that matter, even Kershaw and Greinke are great fielders for their position.

MP: The key guy for the Mets has to be Yoenis Cespedes. The Mets did a great job of taking care of business against teams at their own level or below.

And it’s not like facing the Mets’ pitching staff will be a picnic for the Dodgers lineup, which has been mediocre at the bat in 2015.

The Dodgers lost that game by one run.

As mentioned above, all four of the Mets projected starters will be making their first postseason appearances and starts in the NLDS.

The Mets are 35 for 169 against Greinke and strikeout nearly as often as they do against Kershaw (17 percent vs. 23 percent), so this too won’t be easy. Reason two: David Wright is back and healthy The heartbeat of this Mets ball club is seven time All-Star third basemen David Wright.

It’s a big loss for the Dodgers and baseball.

The Dodgers are truly counting on Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke more than ever going into the first round of the postseason. The NL East champs rebuilt around prized young pitchers such as Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard and Familia — the electric arms that kept New York within striking distance this season until the front office completely transformed an anemic offense in late July. “Our home run output and on-base percentage difference is something you can look at”.

Veteran right-hander Chris Young made the postseason roster for the Kansas City Royals, who will start their series against the Houston Astros on Friday.

“This is a time of no egos”, manager Don Mattingly said.

In an era dominated by elite pitching, one ace stands above the rest. Los Angeles has a bevy of injuries, but the Mets are still a couple years away from a deep run.