The Mets punched their ticket to their first NLCS since 2006, but now that the champagne celebration is over, it's time to get back to business. The first order of that business is setting up the rotation.
New York defeated the Dodgers, 3-2, in a winner-take-all Game 5 Thursday night in Los Angeles, and they announced afterward that Matt Harvey will take the hill for Game 1 against the Cubs at Citi Field on Saturday. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess.
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Pitching Harvey in Game 1 could handicap the Amazin's, as it's unlikely they'd be able to pitch him on short rest if the series isn't in their favor, while the likes of Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard will be used in Games 2 and 3 and unavailable. Then again, the way Harvey has flip-flopped, he may be willing to go on short rest.
It's likely given deGrom gutting himself through six uneasy innings in NLDS Game 5 that Syndergaard, who pitched a clean seventh inning in that game, will take the ball for Game 2. When the series shifts to Chicago for Game 3, deGrom could then pitch on normal rest.
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The candidates for Game 4 would then be Steven Matz, who had one bad inning in an otherwise solid playoff debut, or Bartolo Colon, who has been used out of the bullpen thus far in the playoffs.
The Mets probable rotation would be Harvey, Syndergaard, deGrom and Matz, with veterans Colon and Jonathan Niese being available in the pen. Syndergaard's numbers at home (7-2, 2.46) were stronger than his road marks (2-5, 4.23), which is an added bonus for pitching him in Game 2.
Though Harvey could be a liability due to the team babying him upon his return from Tommy John surgery, he shut out the Cubs and held them to three hits in seven innings during his only game against them this season, while fanning nine.
Harvey will look to outduel Jon Lester, while if the scenario holds up, Syndergaard will match up against the out-of-this-world Jake Arrieta at Citi Field.
It'll be a tremendous series with no shortage of solid pitchers, but now that the Mets have moved on, they face a lot of questions with their Amazin' rotation.
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