- What: MLB National League Championship Series Game
- When: October 13, 2024
- Who: New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
- Time: 5:15 p.m. PST
- Where: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
The Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Mets in the first game of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night.
New York Mets
The Mets have gone 2-1 in their last three NLCS appearances and hold a 9-6 record across 15 playoff games against the Dodgers. Francisco Lindor has excelled against Los Angeles this season, batting .320 with eight hits, two home runs, six RBIs, and four runs over six games.
Kodai Senga is set to start Game 1, with the pressure on him to improve on his last outing. This will be his second career start against the Dodgers, having previously pitched six innings while allowing just one earned run, four hits, and striking out nine.
He aims to make the most of his signature ghost fork pitch and plans to increase the velocity of his fastball, which averaged 94.3 MPH in his last appearance.
HOW ‘BOUT THIS TEAM??? #MetsWin #LGM pic.twitter.com/9ps966dQKz
— x – New York Mets (@Mets) October 10, 2024
The bullpen has come alive, led by closer Edwin Diaz. Impressively, he bounced back from a blown save in the second game of the Phillies series with a stellar performance to secure the series.
Diaz struck out Kody Clemens with a 98.7 MPH fastball and then induced a pop-up from Brandon Marsh. Finally, he sealed the game with a strikeout of Kyle Schwarber using a 101.1 MPH fastball.
Lindor has been a consistent performer in these playoffs, contributing with one home run, six RBIs, and six runs. Meanwhile, Pete Alonso has excelled, boasting a .300 batting average with three home runs, six RBIs, and five runs in seven playoff games.
Brandon Nimmo has also been a strong contributor, hitting .286 with one home run, seven RBIs, and seven runs over seven playoff games.
However, the standout player has been Mark Vientos, who is batting an impressive .563 with two home runs, seven RBIs, and six runs, including a two-home run game in Game 2.
Dodgers
The Dodgers’ pitching staff has been outstanding, throwing 24 consecutive shutout innings and not allowing a single leadoff hitter in the fifth game of the series against the Padres.
The bullpen has been particularly noteworthy, with players like Alex Vesia, Landon Knack, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, and Blake Treinen all delivering shutout innings in their appearances.
Treinen, in particular, secured two saves in the series, including the closing outs of the fifth game against the Padres in the NLDS.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to the NLCS! pic.twitter.com/dMaCJKkLD5
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 12, 2024
The Dodgers had a strong record of 4-2 against the Mets this season. Shohei Ohtani has had impressive performances against the Mets, batting .361 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and 11 runs over 10 games throughout his career.
Freddie Freeman has also been successful against the Mets, hitting .303 with 31 home runs, 129 RBIs, and 118 runs over 207 games throughout his career.
The Dodgers have struggled with consistent hitting, but Teoscar Hernandez and Kike Hernandez each delivered solo home runs, providing Los Angeles with all the offense they needed.
Meanwhile, Ohtani has surprisingly underperformed, batting just .200 with one home run, four RBIs, and seven runs. Similarly, Mookie Betts is hitting only .222, with two home runs, three RBIs, and four runs.
Mets-Dodgers Best Bet
This game will likely set the tone for the series, but I can’t get a feel for who has the advantage in this first game. The Dodgers series comeback against the Padres was insanely impressive considering they used two bullpen games to win the series.
On the other hand the Mets have been just as impressive in their wins over the Brewers and Phillies. The total seems low at 8 runs. I could see both of these teams unleash some runs on the opposing teams pitching staffs.
Over 8 runs at -110 odds is the best bet in this one.
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
