Mets Rumors: Only one NLCS start for Matt Harvey?

“We should have won this game”.

Playing the franchise’s first winner-take-all postseason game in 27 years, the Dodgers had a lapse befitting a team in unfamiliar territory.

Cubs: RH Hector Rondon (6-4, 1.67, 30/34 saves), RH Justin Grimm (3-5, 1.99, 3 saves), RH Pedro Strop (2-6, 2.91, 3 saves), LH Travis Wood (5-4, 3.84, 4 saves), RH Fernando Rodney (7-5, 4.74, 16 saves with Mariners and Cubs), RH Trevor Cahill (1-3, 5.40 with Braves and Cubs), LH Clayton Richard (4-2, 3.83). The Mets challenged the play and the call was overturned.

The Mets will play the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS; the first time those teams have met in the playoffs.

Even if Mattingly somehow survives to manage next season, the final year of his contract, the Dodgers will be a radically different team in 2016.

It’s impossible to discuss the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers without mentioning their payroll – and the fact that $300 million is an bad lot to pay for a team that couldn’t win a first-round playoff series for the second consecutive year. “We think we can stack up with anybody”.

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy was already having a sensational series going into game five and he continued to come up clutch for the Mets.

“This is one of those games where you’re in a situation where everybody’s available”, Collins said. “I know it’s psychobabble 101, but it actually works”.

Meanwhile, in the American League, defending American League Champion, the Kansas City Royals will be at home to entertain the Toronto Blue Jays in Game One of the best of seven ALCS on Friday. 333 with three homers and five RBI’s. When asked if he wanted to play for the Dodgers next season, Greinke said “That would be nice”, and went on to say, “I guess that is my whole response”. The betting odds for the New York Mets with starting pitcher Matt Harvey (R) stand at -118 6½u-20 and the Cubs with starting pitcher Jon Lester (L) at -102.

Daniel Murphy carried the Mets to the NLCS nearly single-handedly with his Game 5 performance.

Syndergaard threw a hitless seventh in the rookie’s first big league relief appearance, and Jeurys Familia was flawless in the first six-out save of his big career.

Syndergaard allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked one.

Last year, they were eliminated by St. Louis in a four-game NLDS, when Kershaw lost both of his starts. The Dodgers offense, paid ridiculously more than the Mets hitters who struggled this season until the arrival of Yoenis Cespedes, couldn’t make it happen.

Chicago skipped batting practice because of the weather, but Arrieta took the mound in short sleeves. Left-hander, right-hander. Fastballs, off-speed pitches. But the shift had been on against Duda and Murphy saw that third base was not covered. “We’ve got young guys and veteran guys”.

Just because the Major League Baseball admitted that the second base umpire got it wrong doesn’t make the feeling any better. But as David Wright said before the series, “If you go up there thinking that way, you’ll be behind 0-2 and then he’s got you where he wants you”.

Harvey, too, exhibited true grit in Game 3 when, after allowing three runs in the top of the second inning, hung around despite a clear lack of stuff to finish five innings as his teammates clobbered Dodgers starter Brett Anderson.