Utley’s appeal of ban for slide to be heard Monday

First, in game one the Dodgers got base runners against DeGrom but could never find the hit to cash them in. Would it have been different with deGrom, who outpitched Kershaw in Game 1?

Even though it doesn’t feel this way now, the good news is the Mets are still alive and have a chance to open up the National League Championship Series on Saturday with just one win on Thursday. The New York Mets pitching staff has really been getting it done this series, as they’ve allowed no more than five runs in three of the four games.

Fittingly, the Dodgers’ season could be prolonged or end on back-to-back appearances by Kershaw and Greinke, whose arms propelled them to a third consecutive NL West title and a franchise-record third straight playoff appearance.

Matz gave up a two-run double to former Mets infielder Justin Turner and New York was held to three hits by Kershaw over seven brilliant innings on Tuesday night, losing 3-1 to force a deciding Game 5 in the NL Division Series. “But, as it lines up now, we need Kershaw tomorrow to get the win and then go back to L.A. with Greinke”. “It’s probably dead even, to be honest”, Kershaw said.

“Kershaw and Greinke were not good enough to win 90 games by themselves”, Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. “But I think we’re as excited as we were [for Game 1]”.

A Cubs employee was sent to retrieve the ball on Wednesday morning, and a source said the team verified it was the actual Schwarber ball through an Major League Baseball postseason watermark on it. That both teams are capable of such a feat is what makes this Game 5 so tantalizing.

“We’re definitely looking forward to him taking the ball again Thursday”, Curtis Granderson said of deGrom, “and it’s going to be another tough matchup for both teams out there”. So when we’re able to split them, it gets back to a game that anything can happen honestly. What’s worse, as was the case in Game 3, this trend is amplified when the Dodgers grab then lose a lead. Greinke said he’s pitched equally well with either one behind the plate. But Kenley Jansen got Murphy, the go-ahead run, to fly out to right to end the inning, and in their last licks in the ninth, the Mets went down quietly in order. He did have a notable home/road split in the regular season, however, with a 1.99 ERA at Citi Field and 3.09 on the road.

Greinke allowed a pair of solo home runs in his Game 2 victory, but otherwise struck out eight with no walks in seven strong innings.

HARVEY AVAILABLE: RHP Matt Harvey, who pitched five innings Monday, told Mets manager Terry Collins that he wants to be available for tonight’s game.

DeGrom proved unflappable in front of a partisan Dodgers crowd in Game 1, displaying the same calm under pressure as he did pitching a scoreless inning at the All-Star game in July. So they’re about as similar as you’re going to get, I guess. He threw 13 pitches in the second and 10 in the third before his no-hit bid was broken up by Murphy’s one-out homer to right in the fourth.

While deGrom can be expected to pound plenty of fastballs in Thursday’s winner-take-all Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, just as Kershaw did in Game 4, Greinke will mix it up.