NLCS: Who has the edge; series prediction

The Mets were unquestionably better in terms of making fewer errors. Curtis Granderson has been terrific too, 7-for-18 with 3 walks, and Cespedes is 5-for-20 with 2 longballs. Heartbreak and superstition are as much a part of Cubs lore as Wrigley Field itself.

For Saturday night’s NL Championship Series opener against the Chicago Cubs, the Mets were back in their blue jerseys. 3-4 starters Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks permitted 28 steals in 36 tries. Closer Hector Rondon is a beast in the ninth.

But whatever pain the Mets might have suffered in the 29 years since they took down the Red Sox, it pales in comparison to the Chicago Cubs and their long-suffering yet incredibly passionate fanbase.

Whether it’s Rob Refsnyder learning second base or Greg Bird being dismissed as anything other than a first baseman, the Yankees are hesitant to move players around with months or even years of training and testing.

“Everyone talks about Lester, and he has a major problem”, one scout said. This might be one of those times.

Still, another scout said, “This is an area to take advantage of [Lester]”. Waiting for Lester to beat himself is not a sound strategy, however patience will be key for Mets hitters, who will need Lester to get the ball up to do any damage.

Can aces be dealt with again? The Cubs are to face the New York Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday. He has been very supportive of the venues, going so far as to bring Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia to Roots on multiple occasions when they were Yankees teammates.

Rubin: Yes, the Mets went 0-7 against the Cubs during the regular season. Even for Mets fans, whose fandom is founded in fully expecting, with good reason, the worst fates to befall them (while, still, of course, finding a way to Gotta Believe), the Fear was unusually powerful. Each team relies on timely hitting and home runs as much as anything.

But still… When the 2015 season began, many saw the scene as a hopeful sign for the Cubbies, and here we are. Fans celebrate outside Wrigley Field. When a manager does that, it seems as though one or two of those pitchers can have an off night. But numerous scouts mentioned the wind blew in more this season than they could remember.

The Cubs started the postseason with a convincing 4-0 win against the Pirates in the wild-card game, then recovered from a Game 1 loss to take three straight from the Cardinals to win the NL Division Series. Lester’s game is to get you to beat yourself. There are bullpen mounds down each line, so foul pop-ups are more challenging. It now features a massive video board above the left-field bleachers and a smaller one in right….

Joe Maddon has pushed all the right buttons this year and he has the Cubs one step away from the World Series.

Cubs: CF Dexter Fowler (.250, 17 HRs, 46 RBIs), LF Kyle Schwarber (.246, 16, 43), 3B Kris Bryant (.275, 26, 99), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.278, 31, 101), 2B Starlin Castro (.265, 11, 69), RF Jorge Soler (.262, 10, 47), C Miguel Montero (.248, 15, 53) or David Ross (.176, 1, 9), SS Javier Baez (.289, 1, 4). But it was noticed Castro did not sulk while on the bench. Both have tons of power and youth and the pitching to back it up.

He hit. 353 in the final 44 games, a reminder that though he is just still 25, he already has 991 career hits.

Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. “You can’t forget about him”. “They’re an entirely different team”.

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts (5:20 p.m., NBC (3)): The main event of the Tom Brady revenge tour pits the Patriots against the team that started the seemingly endless Deflategate saga after New England’s 45-7 win over Indianapolis in last season’s AFC title game.

Lester’s career year came just last season at age 30 and resulted in a seven-year, $170M contract from the Cubs. Four were one-run games, and all came before the Mets added Yoenis Cespedes and turned their offense around.