Mets look for Sweep vs. Dodgers on Thursday

Two of the best young pitchers in the National League will go head to head on Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Mets in the final game of a 4 game series. The Dodgers are sending their best pitcher to the mound in Clayton Kershaw, while the Mets will look to finish off a sweep in Los Angeles with 8-2 Dillon Gee taking the ball.

Kershaw may not get the recognition he deserves, but it my opinion and the opinion of many baseball handicappers, he’s one of the premier pitchers in the National League. Vegas oddsmakers are very savvy to the line when Kershaw is on the mound as they know what he’s capable of doing to an opposing team’s line-up. The Dodgers are having a miserable year over-all, and the majority of the reason why is due to pitching. Not having a solid 5th starter, and the major drop-off after the top 3 starters, has made it a well below average season for a Dodgers team that prides themselves on pitching. Kershaw is doing all he can with what he’s been given. An 8-4 record is about all he could have squeezed out of his starts this year, but he will need to improve on his consistency over the second half of the season if the Dodgers have any chance of making a late run.

Offensively the Dodgers have been insufficient if you consider the talent that they have throughout their line-up. Many MLB predictions had them finishing in the top 2 of the National League West because of players like Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. However, they have received little production from everyone else, and are in desperate need of a few trades to bolster their batting order. As poorly as the team is doing as a whole, Matt Kemp has somehow found a way to not let it affect him at the plate. He is having an MVP caliber season thus far, and reestablished himself as one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball.

The Mets are starting to show signs of life as of late. They’ve won 10 of their last 14 games, but still find themselves a healthy 9.5 games behind the Phillies in the N.L. East. If they can continue their solid play and not worry about catching Philadelphia, but focus on the Wildcard, they have the potential to leap-frog Atlanta in the East and have a breakthrough season. Many MLB experts consider Jose Reyes one of the best players in the game, and rightfully so. Reyes leads the N.L. with a .354 batting average, but will be sidelined for up to 3 weeks with an injured hamstring. His absence in the line-up will be a tough loss to overcome, but if the Mets can maintain the gap they currently have behind the Braves, they will have a chance to make-up ground over the second half.

While the Mets are surprising most with their hitting (9th overall in runs scored), it’s been their pitching that has made the difference this year. They don’t have a clear-cut “Ace” on their staff, but all 5 of their starters are doing a great job at making opposing teams work for runs. Dillon Gee, Jonathan Neise and Chris Capuano all lead the team with 8 wins, and all 5 starters have earned run averages between 3.65 and 4.64. Not having a weak link in the rotation makes this team difficult to beat in a 3 or 4 game series. Tune in Thursday as the Mets look to complete a 4 game road sweep over the Dodgers as they work their way back into the hunt in the N.L. East.

 

Related posts:

1. Surging Dodgers look for Sweep in Philadelphia
2. Braves and Mets Battle in N.L. East Pitchers Duel
3. Angels and Dodgers Fight for Series Win Sunday
4. Mets host Cardinals in a Pitching Dominated Series
5. Are Podsednik and Lilly enough for the Dodgers?

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