All Cubs fans should watch this game with great interest, as it will determine the Cubs' NLDS opponent.
I'm kind of ambivalent about this one. The Mets would seem to be the better matchup, but we all know how that worked out last year. Either way, the Cubs will only have to face the other team's ace once in the division series, as both are going in this contest.
The Mets won the season series four games to three, which is why they're hosting. The Mets won two of the three games the teams played in Citi Field this year back in May. As was the case for the A.L. wild-card game, the teams have identical records, the first time that's happened since the second wild card was created in 2012.
Giants lineup:
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Mets lineup:
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Noah Syndergaard goes for the Mets, and Madison Bumgarner for the Giants, a matchup of two of the game's best pitchers. So we should expect a low-scoring pitchers' duel, right?
Right. Just like the A.L. wild-card game, matching up two of the league's best offenses, was going to be a slugfest.
Syndergaard faced the Giants twice this year. He gave up four runs in 5⅔ innings May 1 at Citi Field, but threw eight two-hit innings against them August 21 in San Francisco. So... a toss-up?
Bumgarner's ERA is a run higher on the road (3.39) than at home (2.14). But he was Thor's opponent in that May 1 game and threw six shutout innings, then had a rough outing (five innings, four runs) against the Mets August 18 in San Francisco.
In short, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Today's game is on ESPN. Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jessica Mendoza, Aaron Boone and reporter Buster Olney.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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