Nine concerns for the Dodgers facing the Mets in the NLCS

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In the postgame clubhouse following Game 5 of the National League Division Series, the expletives flowed as freely as showers of beer and champagne.

Actually, it started even before then.

What’s different about this year’s Dodgers team, Game 5 hero Kiké Hernández was asked during a postgame Fox television interview out on the field.

“The fact that we don’t give a f—,” Hernández grinned.

It was a message similar to one Hernández shared with the team as the Dodgers stormed back from a two-games-to-one deficit in the NLDS to defeat the San Diego Padres, one players proudly recounted — expletive included.

Next up on the Dodgers’ October conquest: the New York Mets, who will travel to Dodger Stadium for the start of a best-of-seven NL Championship Series on Sunday. First pitch is at 5:15 p.m.

“That Mets team is playing really good baseball,” manager Dave Roberts said, keeping his language G-rated. “But we’ll be ready.”

If the Dodgers’ place in the NLCS is a surprise, then the Mets’ has been nothing short of a miracle. What was supposed to be a reset season with a bloated payroll has instead borne an unexpected championship chase, with the team sneaking into the playoffs as a five-seed before dispatching the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers and NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies.

As the Dodgers embark on a quick turnaround from Game 5 to another Game 1, here are nine things to know about their NLCS opponent — and the concerns the upstart Mets might pose in the best-of-seven series.

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1. Mets magic

Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias celebrates with an "OMG" sign after the Mets beat the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Despite having the highest payroll in baseball this year (over $340 million according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts), the Mets’ pure roster talent pales in comparison to some other big-market clubs — the Dodgers, included.

But on vibes, no squad has matched the positive energy generated in Queens this season; from infielder Jose Iglesias’ “OMG” pop song, the unofficial anthem of the team; to the superstitious connection that Grimace, the purple pear-shaped McDonald’s mascot character, forged among the fan base after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at the start of a Mets regular-season winning streak.

On the field, the Mets’ journey here was its own fairy tale. They went from an early-season laughing stock, 11 games under .500 in early June, to a midseason surge that left them 49-46 at the All-Star break. They vaulted into playoff contention with a nine-game winning streak in late August and early September. Then they punched their October ticket in a memorable doubleheader on the Monday after the end of the regular season, erasing deficits in the eighth and ninth innings against the Atlanta Braves — the latter on a go-ahead Francisco Lindor home run — to earn what once looked like an unlikely playoff bid.

The dramatics continued through the first two rounds. In a decisive Game 3 of the wild-card series in Milwaukee, Pete Alonso hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning for a 4-2 win over the Brewers. In an NLDS upset of the second-seeded Phillies, the Mets clinched the series in a Game 4 win that was keyed by Lindor’s sixth-inning grand slam.

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2. The other MVP candidate

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor celebrates after the Mets beat the Phillies in the NLDS.

Shohei Ohtani has all but locked up the National League MVP award this year, after his unprecedented 54-homer, 59-steal season with the Dodgers.

For much of the summer, however, Lindor was seen as a possible challenger, considered the best non-designated hitter in the NL this year.

Despite missing the All-Star Game after a sluggish start to the year, Lindor caught fire in the second half, batting .306 with 16 home runs and a .943 OPS in his final 57 games — all while playing highly rated defense at shortstop and serving as the Mets’ poised, impassioned, spiritual leader.

Though his full-season stat line didn’t rival Ohtani’s numbers — Lindor batting .273, to Ohtani’s .310, with 33 home runs and 91 RBIs — he wasn’t far off matching Ohtani’s NL-best total in wins above replacement, posting a 7.8 mark (thanks to the added value from his defense) to Ohtani’s 9.1 (which was hampered by the fact he was only a DH this season), according to Fangraphs.

Lindor has been a force in the playoffs as well, batting seven for 27 with three doubles, his Game 4 grand slam, six RBIs and six walks.

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3. Polar Bear pop

The Mets' Pete Alonso tosses his bat as he watches his solo home run sail over the right-field wall in Game 3 of the NLDS.

If not for his season-saving swing last week in Milwaukee, Alonso’s Mets career might already be over.

The veteran slugger will be a free agent this offseason. And despite his status as a fan favorite at first base, the “Polar Bear,” as he’s known, could easily wind up elsewhere in 2025.

Until then, Alonso poses the biggest power threat in the Mets lineup. His 34 home runs this year led the team (despite being a full-season career low for him). His 70 walks trailed only Brandon Nimmo. His 88 RBIs and .458 slugging percentage were both third on the club.

In the playoffs, Alonso’s production has only grown. He is batting .273 in seven games, with three home runs, six RBIs, seven walks and a 1.161 OPS — fourth highest in the majors this postseason among players with at least four games.

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4. Rising star

Mets third baseman Mark Vientos reacts after committing an error during Game 4 of the NLDS.

The only hitter in the Mets lineup who has been hotter in the playoffs than either Alonso or Lindor? How about the 24-year-old Mark Vientos, one of just two Mets regulars (along with 22-year-old catcher Francisco Alvarez) who will finish this calendar year under the age of 30.

A fixture at third base ever since mid-May, Vientos has followed up a strong first full MLB season (.266 average, 27 home runs, 71 RBIs) by going on an absolute tear in October.

His 12 hits are most in the playoffs. He recorded multiple knocks in all four NLDS games against the Phillies. And he’s one of just seven players with multiple home runs so far this postseason.

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5. A familiar DH

The Mets' J.D. Martinez hits an RBI single off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering during Game 1 of the NLDS.

On the other end of the age spectrum, the oldest member of the Mets’ lineup will be a recognizable face at Dodger Stadium.

When the Dodgers signed Ohtani this year, it meant saying goodbye to 2023 designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who had a renaissance season with the Dodgers by hitting 33 home runs on a one-year contract.

After landing in New York over the winter, Martinez’s production dropped off — he hit just 16 home runs while batting .235, finishing the regular season in a three-for-41 slump — but his numbers in the postseason have been steady, entering the NLCS with four hits and three RBIs in 14 at-bats.

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6. A veteran rotation

Mets starting pitcher Luis Severino in action during Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies in Philadelphia.

Kodai Senga aside (more on him in a moment), the Mets’ starting rotation lacks big-name star power.

What they possess instead: A trio of veteran starters in Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana who, quite simply, know how to collect outs.

Of those three, only Manaea averaged more than nine strikeouts per nine innings this year. Only Severino averaged above 95 mph with his fastball. Yet, each of them had double-digit wins and sub-4.00 ERAs. All made at least 30 starts and pitched 170 innings.

In the playoffs, their performances have gone up a level. Entering the NLCS, Mets starters have a 2.43 ERA in October — third best among clubs to reach the division series round.

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7. The Senga factor

Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga looks on from the dugout during Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

Senga is the wild card on the Mets’ pitching staff, a $75-million ace from Japan who was an All-Star as a 30-year-old rookie in 2023.

This season, a shoulder injury in spring training sidelined the right-hander for all but one start in the regular season. Entering the playoffs, he wasn’t expected to be any kind of a factor.

But after the Mets advanced through the wild-card round, Senga was a surprise addition to their NLDS roster. In Game 1 against the Phillies — his first outing on a big-league mound since late July — he pitched two innings, giving up just a solo home run while striking out three.

Come Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday, Senga could be tapped for a similar role again, as he is reportedly the Mets’ likely choice to open the series in another abbreviated outing (one in which converted starters David Peterson or Tylor Megill could follow him out of the bullpen).

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8. Edwin Díaz

Edwin Díaz celebrates after recording the final out to close out the Mets' NLDS win over the Phillies in Game 4.

No one on the Mets’ roster likely needed the three-day break between the NLDS and NLCS more than closer Edwin Díaz, who has pushed his arm to the limit over the last two weeks.

In an 11-day span from Sept. 29 to Oct 9, Diaz made five appearances and threw 153 pitches, summoned for one stressful late-game situation after the next in the final week of the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs.

Diaz hasn’t been perfect in that time, blowing late-game leads in two of his outings. But he has also recorded a save and been credited with two winning decisions, continuing a volatile — but ultimately productive — season for the hard-throwing right-hander in which he had 20 saves and a 3.52 ERA after missing all of 2023 with a torn knee tendon.

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9. Rest vs. the weary

The Mets pose for a group photo on the field after defeating the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Mets hold entering the NLCS is the extra rest they were afforded by closing out the Phillies in four games, giving them those two extra days off while the Dodgers and Padres went to Game 5.

Because of that, the Dodgers will probably only be able to pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto once in the NLCS (unless they break his routine of getting at least five days of rest between starts). They will also have to be mindful of their heavily worked bullpen, which combined for more than 30 innings over the last seven days.

Then again, beating the Padres was worth it for the Dodgers — who spoke openly Friday night about the emotional satisfaction of winning the series (“We all wanted to beat those guys really bad,” Roberts pronounced) and had the letters “FTP” (P for Padres, F for yet another curse word) written in marker on a clubhouse whiteboard.

Now, they’ll have just 48 hours to regroup and get ready for the best-of-seven NLCS.

Not that they seemed too concerned by it in a champagne-soaked clubhouse.