For the last several weeks it became increasingly evident the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets would meet in the 2015 National League Division Series; making in the third time they’d square off in postseason history.
However, what still needed to be determined was who would hold home-field advantage in the best-of-five series, what the starting rotations would be for the respective clubs, and who would be on each postseason roster.
One of those questions was answered Saturday when the Mets were swept in a doubleheader by the Washington Nationals, and the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres, locking in Games 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium.
While neither the Dodgers nor the Mets have announced their 25-man postseason rosters, New York did set their starting rotation. According to ESPN’s Adam Rubin, Jacob deGrom will take the ball in Game 1, and be followed in the series by Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey:
Jacob deGrom will start Friday’s opener at Dodger Stadium, likely against Clayton Kershaw. Noah Syndergaard then gets Game 2 in Los Angeles, followed by Matt Harvey in Game 3 when the series shifts to Citi Field, manager Terry Collins said Sunday.
As for a potential Game 4, the Mets hope rookie Steven Matz will recover from injury in time:
The Mets would like rookie left-hander Steven Matz to start Game 4, but his availability remains in question. Matz has been suffering from spasms in his upper back and has not pitched in a major league game since Sept. 24. Matz received an injection Friday to try to relax the muscle, and the Mets hope he can throw 90 to 100 pitches in an instructional league game in Florida on Thursday.
Should Matz not be available, deGrom could start a potential Game 4 on short rest, or the Mets may turn to veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon. deGrom capped off his 2015 campaign by throwing 72 pitches in four no-hit innings against the Nationals.
deGrom finished 14-8 with a 2.60 ERA, 2.74 FIP and 0.99 WHIP. The second-year pitcher is 0-2 lifetime in three starts against the Dodgers, with a 3.66 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. deGrom only faced Los Angeles once this season, holding them to two hits in 7.2 scoreless innings at Citi Field; he walked away with a no-decision.
The Mets’ decision to start Syndergaard in Game 2 is likely tied to Harvey’s innings limit, and New York needing to protect against potentially overusing the 26 year old in the first round, in the event they are to advance to the NL Championship Series or World Series.
Syndergaard also only faced the Dodgers once this season, allowing one run on two hits in six innings on July 3 at Dodger Stadium. On the year, the 23-year-old rookie is 2-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 12 road starts, compared to a 7-2 mark and 2.46 ERA over 12 starts at home.
Harvey went 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over two starts against the Dodgers in 2015. He had five walks and only managed to pitch five innings at Dodger Stadium, but responded with a seven-inning effort at Citi Field three weeks later.
