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NLCS 2015: 5 reasons why the Mets will beat the Cubs

By Ian O'Brien

October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson (3) celebrates the 3-2 victory against Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson (3) celebrates the 3-2 victory against Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) celebrates the 3-2 victory against Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
October 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) celebrates the 3-2 victory against Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of NLDS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Deeper rotation

Those who are betting on the Cubs will instantly point out that they have Jake Arrieta, who may very well be the next National League Cy Young winner. The Cubs also have Jon Lester, who has an excellent postseason resume that consists of World Series victories with another once-cursed club, the Boston Red Sox.

However, the Cubs’ rotation drops off greatly after their top two pitchers, much like the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammel are solid middle-of-the-rotation pitchers, but they will be outmatched by the Mets. The Mets have an ace and Cy Young contender of their own in Jacob deGrom, who logged a 1.38 ERA against the Dodgers and threw 20 strikeouts in two starts after logging 205 in the regular season, beating both Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the process.

The Mets also have Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey. Syndergaard is also a strikeout machine, as he showed by throwing nine in his postseason debut after throwing 166 in 150 regular-season innings.

Harvey has excelled for the Mets since returning from Tommy John surgery, and the drama surrounding his workload has gone away. The Mets also have serviceable starters such as Steven Matz, Bartolo Colon and Jon Niese ready to go if they are needed to provide depth. The Cubs do not have this sort of depth beyond Arrieta and Lester, and facing a revamped Mets lineup will not make things any easier.

Next: 4. Yoenis Cespedes

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