New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers NLCS series preview: High-stakes drama, star showdowns, and path to the World Series

On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets will kick off their fourth-ever postseason meeting. A rematch of the 1988 NLCS that saw LA emerge victorious and go on to win the World Series.

"Mets. Dodgers. The 2024 NLCS is set." - MLB

This year, the Mets will look to flip the script. In the Wild Card round, New York beat the NL Central champ Milwaukee Brewers before doing away with the Phillies - the NL East champs - in the NLDS.

Today, we will be examining some of the storylines at play ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS.

What to expect in the 2024 NLCS between the Mets and Dodgers

While many expected the Dodgers to make a postseason push in 2024, very few expected the New York Mets to. Last season, outgoing GM Billy Eppler even claimed that his former team would not be competitive until 2025 or 2026.

Regardless, the Mets did away with the Philadelphia Phillies in an action-packed four-game NLDS to punch their ticket to LA. The highest-spending team in baseball is hoping to have their first crack at the World Series since 2015.

"10/9/2024 The Mets beat the Phillies on the back of a Francisco Lindor grand slam and advance to their first NLCS since 2015." - This Day in Mets History

Despite the New York Mets' feel-good ascension to the NLCS, that does not mean it will be easy.

Although LA won more regular season games, the Mets have performed better this postseason. The team's 38 runs lead the playoff field, as does their .715 OPS, 56 hits, and .241 batting average.

The Mets' 3.05 ERA is slightly behind the Cleveland Guardians', ranking second among teams still in the playoffs. The starting core of Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Jose Quintana and Kodai Senga has been formidable. Meanwhile, left without key starters, LA has had to rely on Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to eat up innings.

"Luis Severino's sweeper is pretty disgusting #UmpCam" - FOX Sports: MLB

The question of Ohtani's performance continues to linger for LA. After a historic regular season, Shohei Ohtani is just 5-for-20 in the postseason, while Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy all also struggled to get things going.

The Dodgers were the better team for most of the year, but the Mets are exceeding expectations. If the postseason has taught us anything, it is that fortune favors hot clubs.

Schedule

Game 1: Sunday, October 13, 8:15 pm ET

Game 2: Monday, October 14, 4:08 pm ET

Game 3: Wednesday, October 16, 8:08 pm ET

Game 4: Thursday, October 17, 8:08 pm ET

Game 5 (If Necessary): Friday, October 18, 8:08 pm ET

Game 6 (If Necessary): Sunday, October 20, 8:08 pm ET

Game 7 (If Necessary): Monday, October 21, 8:08 pm ET