Daily Clips

October 15, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

DODGERS.COM: Greinke confident, focused heading into Gm 5 – Chris Haft Coast-to-coast drama: NY, LA to decide NLDS – Anthony Castrovince Mets, Dodgers have history in winner-take-all games – Barry M. Bloom Postseason ride a family affair for Seagers – Greg Johns Greinke, deGrom set for NLDS Game 5 duel – David Adler Turner expected to start Game 5; Grandal uncertain – Ken Gurnick Five things Dodgers need to do to take NLDS – Lyle Spencer Forget the aces: The relievers who will decide NLDS Game 5 – Mike Petriello Kershaw preparing for possible NLCS Game 2 start – Ken Gurnick Van Slyke says he's available if Dodgers advance – Ken Gurnick Dodgers claim Brown from Rockies, DFA Johnson – Ken Gurnick LA TIMES: Dodgers Dugout: Zack Greinke takes center stage – Houston Mitchell Could Dodgers use Clayton Kershaw out of bullpen in Game 5? – Steve Dilbeck Zack Greinke's Game 5 start against Mets could be his last for Dodgers – Dylan Hernandez Dodgers' and Mets' setup situations add to the suspense – Bill Shaikin Don Mattingly says Yasmani Grandal has 50% chance of playing in Game 5 of NLDS – Steve Dilbeck Is Justin Turner's knee a growing concern for the Dodgers? – Steve Dilbeck Amp up the drama in winner-take-all Game 5 for Dodgers and Mets – Steve Dilbeck Dodgers designate Jim Johnson and claim Brooks Brown from Rockies – Steve Dilbeck Bill Plaschke's Wakeup Call: Dodgers need the fans to show up tonight – Bill Plaschke OC REGISTER: Dodgers' Justin Turner won't gloat about success against Mets, his former team – Bill Plunkett As Dodgers face Mets in Game 5, expect more police at stadium – Ryan Kartje Miller: After spinning the wheel of misfortune, the pick here is deGrom, Mets over Dodgers – Gregory Bull Dodgers' Greinke knows the meaning of spin – Pedro Moura Dodgers notes: NLCS would start Saturday - but Kershaw probably would not – Bill Plunkett NLDS Game 5: Mets at Dodgers, Thursday, 5 p.m. – Pedro Moura LA DAILY NEWS: Kiké Hernandez knows his role for Dodgers in Game 5 – Mark Whicker Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is ‘50-50’ for Game 5 – JP Hoornstra TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers vs. Mets NLDS Game 5: Zack Greinke, Jacob deGrom & making adjustments – Eric Stephen Dodgers claim Brooks Brown off waivers from Rockies, DFA Jim Johnson – Eric Stephen Yasmani Grandal '50/50' for Game 5 with shoulder injury – Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw continues to climb Dodgers strikeout ladder – Eric Stephen LA Dodgers history in winner-take-all postseason games – Eric Stephen ESPN LA: Mets-Dodgers preview: It's gonna be a classic – David Schoenfield Mets rookie Michael Conforto to start in Game 5 of NLDS – Adam Rubin Dodgers claim pitcher Brooks Brown from Rockies – Associated Press Yasmani Grandal is questionable for Thursday's game – Mark Saxon DODGER INSIDER: Greinke won last Dodger Stadium elimination game – Jon Weisman

Hatcher emerges as primary set-up man to Jansen – Jon Weisman Zack Greinke: Complex thoughts, simple approach – Jon Weisman Yasmani Grandal ’50-50′ to start NLDS Game 5 – Jon Weisman Despite knee issues, Turner expected to start Thursday – Jon Weisman Dodgers claim Brooks Brown, designate Jim Johnson for assignment – Jon Weisman All hands on deck: Bullpen report for NLDS Game 5 – Jon Weisman YAHOO SPORTS: Mets manager Terry Collins won't be weighed down by the gravity of Game 5 – Tim Brown Mets-Dodgers Preview – Beth Harris FOX SPORTS: Mets confident for 'fun' decisive Game 5 against Dodgers – FOX Sports What Clayton Kershaw thinks about Greinke-deGrom Game 5 match-up – FOX Sports Dodgers' Van Slyke available for NLCS roster if LA advances – FOX Sports NBC SPORTS: Matt Harvey told Terry Collins he “wants to be available too” in Game 5 of NLDS – Drew Silva THE NEW YORK TIMES: Matt Harvey Could Appear Against Dodgers in Game 5, Mets Manager Says – Tim Rohan

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

DODGERS.COM

Greinke confident, focused heading into Gm 5

By Chris Haft

LOS ANGELES -- Zack Greinke is content to throw the baseball and leave the overanalysis to others.

Greinke didn't sound too concerned as he addressed whether the edge belongs to a pitcher or the

hitters he faces when the sides meet in back-to-back games. This is the situation Greinke will confront

when he and the Dodgers oppose the Mets in Thursday's conclusive Game 5 of the National League

Division Series (8 p.m. ET, TBS). Last Saturday, Greinke surrendered two runs and five hits in seven

innings and received the decision in Los Angeles' 5-2 triumph in Game 2.

"It seems like in my experience, usually you have one good game and one bad game," Greinke said

Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "But the better you pitch, the better your chances are.

So my plan is just to pitch as good as possible, and hopefully it works out."

For what it's worth, Greinke has pitched consecutively against an opponent three times in the regular

season and twice in the postseason since 2009, the year he won the American League Cy Young Award

with Kansas City. In the trio of regular-season rematches, his ERA was 2.65 and he struck out 19 in 17

innings, indicating that facing him remained a challenge.

More significantly, Greinke lost to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2011 NL Championship Series after

defeating them in the series opener. But three of the five runs he yielded in 5 2/3 innings in Game 5

were unearned. He won Game 5 of the 2013 NLCS against the Cardinals (seven innings, six hits, two

runs) after receiving a no-decision but pitching impressively in the opener (eight innings, four hits, two

runs and 10 strikeouts).

Right-hander Jacob deGrom, the Mets' Game 5 starter, possesses the same trust in his array of pitches

that Greinke has. deGrom's return appearance after striking out 13 during seven shutout innings in

Game 1 of this series isn't necessarily something the Dodgers are eagerly awaiting.

"If he's on and he's throwing the ball where he wants and making pitches, it's going to be a difficult day,"

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Obviously, the same [goes] for Zack. If he's able to do that, it

could be the other way."

For the Dodgers, pondering the game's subtext -- the possibility that this will be Greinke's final

appearance in a Los Angeles uniform -- is about as ominous as facing deGrom.

Greinke can opt out of the final three years of his six-year, $147 million contract and become a free

agent. Although Greinke is guaranteed $71 million from 2016-18, he almost surely would more than

double that figure on the open market. He might command as much as $30 million annually.

Consider: Left-hander Jon Lester received a six-year, $155 million package from the Cubs last offseason

after finishing 16-11 to improve his overall record to 116-67. Greinke's coming off a 19-3 mark that gave

him an .864 winning percentage and complemented his 1.66 ERA, both Major League-best figures. In

short, Greinke could receive a significantly more lucrative deal than Lester on the open market, if he

chose to pursue one.

Greinke remained polite yet noncommital when asked about the potential end of his L.A. story.

"I haven't thought about it too much, but everything's been great so far," he said. "I really can't think of

anything not positive to say about the whole experience. It's all been good."

Coast-to-coast drama: NY, LA to decide NLDS

By Anthony Castrovince

Two cities as pseudo-diametrically opposed, both geographically and culturally, as New York and Los

Angeles have, naturally, inspired many a comparison over the years. The Hollywood hills vs. the concrete

jungle. Leno vs. Letterman, back in the day. Beverly Hills vs. the Bowery. Sunshine vs. subways. Traffic vs.

... um ... more traffic.

Leave it to baseball to inject itself into the discussion as only it can, with that glorious argument

augmenter that is a decisive postseason bout.

On the heels of an absolutely wild Wednesday, when the Blue Jays beat the Rangers in an inordinately

emotional exercise and the Royals outlasted the Astros, Thursday night brings us another gargantuan

Game 5 (8 p.m. ET, TBS). It's the National League Division Series finale featuring the Dodgers and Mets,

and only one of these division-winning dynamos is going to walk out of Dodger Stadium with its World

Series hopes intact.

"They've got their guy," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "But obviously from our standpoint, we

feel good about getting the ball to Zack."

Said Mets manager Terry Collins: "Any time you're down to 'win or lose,' it's a tough situation. There's a

lot of pressure on both teams. But I'll tell you, I'm so proud of the way our guys made it through the

season. This, to me, is gravy."

This series has had that kind of feel to it.

The Dodgers were expected to be here from the very beginning, and anything short of a Fall Classic

coronation will be determined a disappointment. The Mets? Nobody picked the Mets to win the NL East,

but their stash of stud starters and second-half improvements at the plate made it happen. Still, with

Clayton Kershaw and Greinke lined up at home for Games 1 and 2, the Dodgers appeared to have the

upper hand.

Immediately, that script was flipped. deGrom, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, actually did what few

others have done in 2015 and outpitched Kershaw in Game 1.

That, it turned out, was only an appetizer to all the drama this series has already seen.

In Game 2, Chase Utley upended Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada with a controversial takeout slide and/or

tackle at second base, breaking Tejada's leg and ending his season. That moment inspired not only a

national discussion over what, in fact, constitutes a dirty play but what baseball might do to prevent

such middle-infield pain in the future.

And that was just Game 2.

In Game 3, the Mets bats absolutely unloaded against the back end of the Dodgers' rotation, with Yoenis

Cespedes' 110.7 mph blast to the upper deck a supreme showcase of what made him one of the all-time

great Trade Deadline pickups and inspired a couple of famous comedians (Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock)

to make two variations of what can only be described as the "Cespedes Face."

But in Game 4, the only celebrity who mattered was Kershaw. With so many people questioning the

modern-day Koufax's ability to perform under pressure on the postseason stage, Kershaw delivered

seven brilliant innings on short rest to silence the once-booming Mets bats and extend the Dodgers'

season and this series.

So here we are. One game and one outcome that will be celebrated either by beach bums or pizza-

eating rats.

This will be the 26th decisive Game 5 since MLB expanded the postseason field in 1995, but neither of

these clubs has been involved in any of the previous 25.

The last time the Mets played a winner-take-all postseason contest was 2006, when they fell to the

Cardinals in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.

The last time the Dodgers played a game like this? Fittingly, it was the 1988 NLCS -- when they beat the

Mets behind Orel Hershiser's heroics en route to World Series glory.

Here's the Dodgers' shot to do it all again, and the Mets' chance at enacting long-brewing revenge.

Will it settle the ol' L.A.-New York argument? Of course not.

But it will settle this scintillating series. And that's absolutely enough.

Mets, Dodgers have history in winner-take-all games

By Barry M. Bloom

NEW YORK -- There's nothing like a deciding game in a playoff series and the Dodgers have a dandy

coming up on Thursday against the Mets with Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Dodger

Stadium (8 p.m. ET on TBS).

It'll be Game 1 winner Jacob deGrom going for the Mets against Game 2 winner Zack Greinke for the

Dodgers. The victor will host the Cubs in the National League Championship Series for the first two

games on Saturday and Sunday.

The two teams are no strangers to postseason deciders. This is the ninth for the Dodgers and sixth for

the Mets. The last time the Dodgers played one was against the Mets, winning Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS

behind Orel Hershiser at Dodger Stadium. Later that month, the Boys in Blue went on to win the World

Series, defeating the A's in five games.

The Mets last lost a postseason decider in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS to the Cardinals. That was the game

at Shea Stadium when Carlos Beltran took a called third strike on a full-count pitch from Adam

Wainwright to end the series. The Cardinals went on to beat the Tigers in a five-game World Series.

Some memories never die. New ones will be created on Thursday night. There will be a winner and a

loser as surely as the sun will rise to the east of Dodger Stadium on Friday. Neither team has played a

Game 5 in the NLDS since the Wild Card era began in 1995.

"We're really confident. We're going home for Game 5 with Zack Greinke on the the mound," said 24-

year-old Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez, who was three years away from being born when the

Dodgers beat the Mets in 1988. "I think we're feeling good about ourselves. It's loser go home. Their guy

against our guy."

In 1988, their guy was Ron Darling, 17-9 with a 3.25 ERA in 34 starts for the Mets that season, against

Hershiser, who, like Greinke now, was having an epic year. Darling didn't have a chance.

Hershiser was 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA in 34 starts that season. He led the NL in wins, complete games (15),

shutouts (eight) and innings pitched (267), ending the season on a 59-inning scoreless streak that broke

Don Drysdale's record. In the NLCS, Hershiser pitched seven innings in Game 3 at Shea Stadium -- a

game the Mets rallied to win -- and the next day, in Game 4, he pitched to one batter in the bottom of

the 12th inning, retiring Kevin McReynolds on a popup to short center, and earned the save.

Three days later, Hershiser threw a five-hitter in Game 7 back in Los Angeles, striking out five and

walking two. Darling, now a TV analyst for the Mets on SNY and covering this playoff series for TBS,

lasted an inning, allowing six hits and six runs (four earned) before being replaced by Doc Gooden.

"It's possibly the worst moment in sports for me, personally," Darling said recently in story published by

The Sports Xchange. "Yeah, [Hershiser] was on top of the planet, but at some point I had to learn how to

match zeros with him. I didn't do it that night and that's where the haunting comes from. To me, that

was the last time a pitcher took over a postseason and kind of willed it to happen."

Hershiser, an incisive analyst now in his own right on Dodgers telecasts for SportsNet LA, had a different

take.

"I sympathize with Ron and the different guys on that team," he said. "But sometimes the roulette

wheel comes up black or red. Sometimes the dealer hits 16 and gets a 5."

The Dodgers' one-two punch behind Hershiser in 1988 was supplied by Tim Leary, originally a first-round

pick (second overall) by the Mets in the 1979 Draft. He won 17 games and made 34 starts.

The Mets, who defeated the Red Sox in an epic seven-game 1986 World Series, were still at the peak of

their prominence, winning 100 regular-season games in 1988 to take the NL East. The Dodgers won 94

games to capture the West.

The Mets' starting rotation that year behind Gooden and Darling included David Cone, Bobby Ojeda and

Sid Fernandez. Cone, then 25, was 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA. Cone, Darling and Gooden combined for 55

wins, 25 complete games and 11 shutouts.

Cone created controversy that postseason by penning a first-person column for the New York Daily

News. His negative comments about Hershiser and Dodgers reliever Jay Howell inflamed tensions and

Cone, under pressure from his teammates, relinquished the column.

"This is my first -- and I'm announcing today -- my last attempt at tabloid journalism," Cone, now an

analyst on Yankees telecasts for YES Network, said at the time. "I apologize to my family for

embarrassing them. And I apologize to my teammates."

It's certainly not the only time in the history of either franchise that the season came down to a deciding

game in a postseason series.

The Dodgers of Brooklyn and L.A. have played it to the max in the World Series five times, losing to the

Yankees in 1947, '52 and '56, beating the Yanks in '55 and the Twins in '65. In '65, Sandy Koufax came

back on two days' rest to win Game 7, 2-0, with 10 strikeouts on the way to a three-hitter at

Minnesota's old Metropolitan Stadium.

Strangely enough, in 1981, the year the season was split in half by a strike, the Dodgers came back to

beat the Astros in a five-game makeshift NLDS, with Jerry Reuss pitching a five-hitter in Game 5 at

Dodger Stadium.

The NLCS was a best-of-five series from 1969-84 and in '81, the Dodgers beat the Expos in five games

when Rick Monday homered off Steve Rogers to win Game 5 at Olympic Stadium, 2-1. The Dodgers went

on to beat the Yankees that year in a six-game World Series.

The Mets lost to the A's in a seven-game 1973 World Series after taking a 3-2 lead back to Oakland. Tom

Seaver lost to Catfish Hunter in Game 6 and Ken Holtzman outdueled Jon Matlack to win Game 7. As

noted, the Mets came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat Boston in '86, winning Game 6 in the 10th inning at

Shea Stadium when Mookie Wilson's grounder went through the legs of Bill Buckner in what is

undoubtedly the most famous game in franchise history.

In 1973, the Mets also won a five-game NLCS over the Reds to get to the World Series. As previously

mentioned, the Mets lost the NLCS in seven games to the Dodgers in '88, and the Cardinals in 2006.

On Thursday night, the Mets will be pinning their hopes on deGrom, 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 30 starts

and an All-Star this year, against Greinke, 19-3 and the Major League leader with a 1.66 ERA and an .864

winning percentage.

"We'll have a whole host of guys in the bullpen behind [deGrom]," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "But

you know, he's had regular rest, so that's a good sign. That's good for him. And you feel real confident

that he's pitched well and that he's going to go out and do it again. This is a time when you need your

guys to step up and you certainly think he'll do that."

Postseason ride a family affair for Seagers

By Greg Johns

SEATTLE -- Over the past several years, Kyle Seager has established himself as one of the top young third

basemen in baseball, a core member of the Mariners' future and a 2014 American League All-Star and

AL Gold Glove Award winner. But all the while, Seager kept saying his little brother, Corey, was the one

with all the talent.

"He's going to be something special," Seager would tell anybody who'd listen while his brother was

playing high school ball in North Carolina and then zipping his way through the Dodgers' Minor League

system after being drafted in the first round in 2012.

Now that prediction is playing out on the national stage as Corey Seager, at 21, has taken over as the

starting shortstop on a Dodgers team playing the Mets in Game 5 of the National League Division Series

on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, TBS) in Los Angeles.

Jealous that his little brother, six years his junior, reached the postseason before he did? Not at all.

"I couldn't be prouder or more happy for him," Kyle said. "It's an extremely exciting time for not only

me, but our entire family."

Kyle and his wife, Julie, debated whether to go see Corey play in person during the playoffs, but so far

have opted to stay home in Salisbury, N.C., with their young son, Crue, and watch on TV while resting up

following the Mariners' season.

Whenever Corey concludes his first season in the Majors -- he hit .337 with four homers and 17 RBIs in

27 regular-season games after being called up on Sept. 3 -- he'll join the rest of the Seagers back in rural

North Carolina. It's that kind of family.

Kyle, Corey and middle brother Justin, who played for Class A Advanced Bakersfield in the Mariners'

system this past year, work out together daily during the offseason. The three have always competed

with each other in everything from ping-pong to basketball to backyard football and, of course, baseball.

"We grew up on a little farm, so we have a pretty good-sized front yard and were constantly out there

playing and doing all that stuff," Kyle said. "We used to play a lot of basketball, but they're both taller

and stronger now, so that doesn't really work for me much."

Kyle wound up being the shortest of the trio, which Corey tops at a lanky 6-foot-4. But Kyle set the tone

from the start as a baseball junkie who his younger brothers followed closely throughout his career.

"They didn't have much of a choice, I guess," Kyle said with a smile. "He and Justin were in the car going

to my games most of the time. Then all through high school and all that stuff, they were obviously there

with my parents."

Now it is Kyle watching Corey on the playoff stage, where he's gone 2-for-12 with a double in the first

four NLCS games while showing a strong arm and defensive presence in the field. The Dodgers have

been so impressed by the youngster that he's supplanted veteran Jimmy Rollins as the starting shortstop

since hitting .426 (20-for-47) with six doubles and a home run in his first 13 games.

None of that has surprised a big brother who saw this coming long ago.

"He's been really good for as long as I can remember," said Kyle. "I remember watching his 8-, 9-, 10-

year-old games and he was always a little bit different. He always had a really good arm and was always

a little bit bigger, and he just continued to work hard.

"He always had the ability to slow down the game. I think it's pretty rare for a guy that works really hard

that also can slow the game down and has the ability to kind of breathe like he does. He's pretty special,

and he's going to do good things for a long time."

Corey Seager says having big brothers in the game -- including one in the Majors -- helped pave his path.

"Easy is the wrong word, but I've been around the game for so long that you kind of adapt to it," he said.

"It's almost who you are."

Corey and Kyle have never been on the same team, because of their age difference, but Kyle has been

able to pass things on that he's learned along the way.

"He's already made it, and he knows how to talk to us in our own lingo," Corey said.

Kyle says Corey's ability to grasp and use that information is what makes him unique.

"I remember getting called up in 2011, and he was still in high school," Kyle said. "Going back that

offseason, and we're hitting and I'm showing him things I'd learned, and I can specifically remember

showing him some stuff and him just getting it. And then him being better at it than me right then.

"You're kind of a little frustrated that your high school brother is already better than you and you're in

the big leagues, but he's got a lot of natural ability and he works extremely hard and picks up on things

really well. I couldn't be happier for him."

Greinke, deGrom set for NLDS Game 5 duel

By David Adler

The National League Division Series between the Mets and the Dodgers is going back to Los Angeles for

a winner-take-all Game 5 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET on TBS). The deciding game will feature a marquee

pitching matchup: the Dodgers' Zack Greinke, the Major League regular-season ERA leader, against the

Mets' Jacob deGrom, who tied a franchise postseason record with 13 strikeouts in Game 1.

"I think going into tomorrow," deGrom said Wednesday of Game 5, "it's probably the biggest game I've

ever pitched."

Whichever team wins at Dodger Stadium will move on to face the Cubs in the National League

Championship Series beginning on Saturday. The Dodgers could move on to the NLCS for the second

time in the past three seasons; the Mets are seeking their first postseason series win since 2006.

"It's probably dead even, to be honest," Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said after winning Game 4. "As

good as Zack is and has been the whole year, deGrom has been the same. So there's really no home-

field advantage when you're facing a guy like deGrom. We saw that in Game 1."

The series is tied, 2-2, after the Mets couldn't close out the Dodgers at home in Game 4 Tuesday night,

falling 3-1 at Citi Field. Kershaw, pitching on three days' rest, threw a gem to stave off elimination.

"There's a lot of pressure on both teams," Mets manager Terry Collins said after the Mets landed in Los

Angeles on Wednesday. "But I'll tell you, I'm so proud of the way our guys made it through the season.

This, to me, is gravy. We're going to go out and play real, real hard."

With their season on the line for a second straight game in Game 5, the Dodgers will turn to Greinke, the

veteran right-hander who has been one of baseball's best pitchers all season. Greinke was effective

against the Mets in Game 2, holding them to two runs in seven innings and striking out eight to earn the

win.

"We get the ball back to Zack on full rest, who has been one of our pocket aces all year long," Dodgers

manager Don Mattingly said. "He's pitched great, and we've got to feel good about that situation."

In eight career postseason starts, Greinke has pitched only once in an elimination situation -- Game 5 of

the 2013 NLCS against the Cardinals, when he took the mound with the Dodgers down three games to

one. In that game, Greinke went seven innings and allowed two runs to beat St. Louis and extend the

series.

His opponent, deGrom, made his postseason debut in this series and turned in one of the best

performances in Mets postseason history. Not only did deGrom match Tom Seaver's strikeout mark in

Game 1, the second-year right-hander also got the better of Kershaw, the defending NL Cy Young Award

winner and MVP.

Now, to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Mets need deGrom -- the headliner of their young,

flamethrowing playoff rotation -- to go into Dodger Stadium and beat Los Angeles for a second time.

"The good ones step up when they know the team needs them," Collins said. "They just rise to the

occasion. They know that they're on the stage, they know they've got to carry their club for seven

innings and keep them in games, and he has the ability to do that."

Things to know about this game

• In Division Series history, the series has gone to a decisive Game 5 on 26 occasions. In those 26

contests, the home team has won 11 times to take the series; the visiting team has won and advanced

15 times. The Dodgers won their only NLDS Game 5, at home, in the strike-shortened 1981 season. The

Mets have never played a Game 5 in a Division Series.

• Mets rookie left fielder Michael Conforto, who does not start against left-handers, will be back in the

lineup for Game 5 against Greinke, the only right-hander in the Dodgers' postseason rotation. In Game

2, Conforto took Greinke deep in his first career postseason at-bat, a 114-mph laser according to

Statcast, tied for the hardest-hit ball Greinke has allowed all season.

• Mattingly said he expects third baseman Justin Turner (left knee soreness) to play in Game 5, but

catcher Yasmani Grandal, dealing with a sore left shoulder, is closer to "50-50."

• Collins said Noah Syndergaard, who started Game 2 -- and possibly even Matt Harvey, who started

Game 3 -- would be available out of the bullpen if the Mets need them.

Turner expected to start Game 5; Grandal uncertain

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he expects third baseman Justin Turner to start

Thursday night's decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series (8 p.m. ET, TBS), but he is

uncertain about the status of catcher Yasmani Grandal.

Turner is dealing with soreness in both knees (bone bruise in left knee, tendinitis in right knee) and a

bruised left foot after fouling off a pitch Monday night. Grandal has persistent discomfort at the top of

his left (non-throwing) shoulder that has bothered him most of the second half of the season.

"I expect J.T. to be able to play," said Mattingly, who removed Turner for defensive purposes in the

eighth inning of the Game 4 win in New York. "I don't think there's a huge difference from yesterday in

what he's able to do.

"I know Yas is maybe more on the 50/50 line, depending on once he tests his swing. I don't think

catching is an issue, just swinging the bat pain free. We haven't talked about replacing him [on the

roster] -- I don't think we would, but possibly if he absolutely can't lift his arm. Talking to [VP of medical

services] Stan Conte, he feels good, his range of motion is better, he expects there's a good chance to be

ready to play tomorrow. That tells me we won't do that, but that could change if he can't do anything at

all."

Mattingly said he's comfortable defensively moving rookie Corey Seager from shortstop to third base

and bringing Jimmy Rollins off the bench to play shortstop if the Dodgers lead in the late innings. But

Turner's bat is crucial to the offense, as he is hitting .467 this series against his former club with a team

postseason record four doubles and three RBIs.

As A.J. Ellis has long been the catcher of choice for Clayton Kershaw, Thursday night starter Zack Greinke

seems to prefer Grandal, though he complimented both on Wednesday.

"Both have different strengths," said Greinke. "A.J. is probably the best pitch-caller and working with

pitchers on what's working and stuff. Yas works really well with me, and his physical skills and baseball

skills are as good as anyone in the game in framing, blocking and throwing. Both have strengths."

Grandal snapped an 0-for-26 drought with a two-run single in Game 3, but he was in obviously pain in

his final at-bat. Ellis is 2-for-7 in the series, extending his postseason hitting streak to 12 games, a

franchise record.

The Dodgers don't want to replace Grandal because it would mean he would also miss the next series. If

necessary, Austin Barnes has been working out with the club and would be the pick.

Five things Dodgers need to do to take NLDS

By Lyle Spencer

LOS ANGELES -- Here are five things the Dodgers need to do in order to seize Game 5 of the National

League Division Series from the Mets on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (TBS) at Dodger Stadium and move on to

engage the Cubs in the NL Championship Series:

1. Produce a standard Zack Greinke work of art

No pitcher has been as consistently excellent this season as Greinke with his 1.66 ERA, the Majors' best

in 20 years. If Greinke, facing Jacob deGrom, can navigate eight innings yielding his norm, 1.5 runs, the

Dodgers should be in decent shape. Oh, right, not even he can hold a team to half a run. How about

seven innings and one run?

Greinke gave up a pair of second-inning rockets in Game 2 to Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto,

and two singles after that, in seven innings. But Noah Syndergaard was just as good. Claiming a 5-2

decision, the Dodgers finally broke through against the Mets' bullpen -- and there was the Chase Utley

maneuver at second base you may have heard about that played a role.

Utley made it safely out of New York along with his team, thanks to Clayton Kershaw. The great lefty

hopefully can put to rest all that seventh-inning postseason spookiness now. Actually, it was one very

bad seventh in 2013 and one unlucky one, with one bad pitch, in 2014, both against the Cardinals.

Snuffing the Mets in the seventh at Citi Field in Game 4, Kershaw put the ball in Greinke's right hand for

the showdown. Nobody is as great as Kershaw, but Greinke is close.

2. Attack deGrom early in counts

It might seem counterintuitive, given the emphasis on driving up pitch counts and getting into the

bullpen, but the Dodgers need to come after deGrom. He produced 13 strikeouts in seven scoreless

innings in Game 1, taking a 3-1 decision from Kershaw. It's hard to score when you're walking back to

the dugout.

Against a strike-thrower like deGrom with his 95-98 mph heat, getting behind in counts is the recipe for

a K. Hitters should approach him as they do Kershaw. If he unleashes a first pitch in your zone, take your

best hack. It might be the last hittable pitch you see.

Opponents this season hit .305 and slugged .451 with first pitches in play against deGrom - compared to

.195 and .284, respectively, after falling behind 0-1 in counts. Seven of the 16 home runs deGrom

yielded came when or after hitters swung at first pitches.

This postseason has been a theme park of long balls, many launched on first or second pitches. It's a

good plan. Attack first and think about working counts later.

3. Contain Curtis Granderson and Cespedes

The Mets have weapons around them -- David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda -- but Granderson

and Cespedes are most dangerous: Granderson as a catalyst leading off, Cespedes with his muscle to

launch balls beyond walls and speed to score from first on a double.

Granderson, enjoying a terrific series, singled twice in three at-bats against Greinke in Game 2. Cespedes

hammered a Greinke fastball the other way for a lead, followed by Conforto's missile, which

Syndergaard protected into the seventh.

Duda, who grew up about an hour from Dodger Stadium in Riverside, has struggled making contact in

this series, but handle with care. He's a classic power hitter. He can launch anything straying into his

happy zone.

4. Stick with Chris Hatcher, Luis Avilan, J.P. Howell setting up

There will be a clamor to bring Kershaw dramatically out of the 'pen, a la Orel Hershiser in 1988, but that

was a once-a-lifetime experience. It's too risky.

The Dodgers finally seem to have that shaky bridge in front of Kenley Jansen capably staffed with lefty

specialists Avilan and Howell fronting Hatcher. Since Sept. 5, Hatcher has yielded one run on six hits and

four walks, striking out 17, in 15 appearances across 13 innings. He's firing in the high 90s in the series,

with no runs, one walk and four K's in 2 2/3 innings.

5. Go with Kiké Hernandez and A.J. Ellis

Hernandez is the jump-starting energy source the Dodgers need leading off and playing center field. He

fearlessly makes things happen.

Yasmani Grandal, the catcher of the future, has handled three-fourths of Greinke's starts. But Ellis is a

take-charge presence with the Majors' best catchers' ERA (3.31) since 2008. He is working on a

franchise-record 12-game postseason hitting streak and has a 1.085 postseason OPS (.373 batting

average) in 60 plate appearances. Grandal has had one hit in eight postseason at-bats, a two-run single

in Game 3.

The catchers' numbers with Greinke this year are virtually identical: 1.64 ERA with Grandal, 1.72 with

Ellis. If Greinke feels strongly about Grandal, who provides a lefty bat against deGrom, go with him. If

not, play Ellis, the more experienced, hotter hand.

Forget the aces: The relievers who will decide NLDS Game 5

By Mike Petriello

For all the deserved hype over the spectacular Jacob deGrom vs. Zack Greinke matchup in Thursday's

NLDS Game 5 (8 p.m. on TBS), the truth is that the deciding moment in the game very well may come

without either one on the mound.

Just look at what's happened already. Though Clayton Kershaw took the heat for Game 1, David Wright's

key seventh-inning hit that pushed the Mets lead from 1-0 to 3-0 came against Pedro Baez. In Game 2,

the three seventh-inning Dodgers runs came with Mets relievers Bartolo Colon and Addison Reed on the

hill. On Tuesday night in Game 4, the runs came off the starters, but the highest-leverage moment of the

night came when Kenley Jansen got Daniel Murphy to fly out with two on in the eighth.

Thus far this postseason, only two starts from any pitcher have gone further than 7 1/3 innings, and

that's not likely to change on Thursday. Greinke made it past seven innings just three times in his final

12 starts, while deGrom hasn't done it once since Aug. 18, doing so just eight times overall in 31 starts.

Since neither manager is likely to ask for six outs from his closer, that means that a pair of often-

maligned bullpens -- sporting the two highest bullpen ERAs in the postseason, in fact -- are probably

going to have to come up with some big outs in tight spots.

You already know about Jansen's deadly cutter, because we've written about it here before. Beyond

him, though? Both sides are full of arms who may play an enormously pivotal role on Thursday. Here's

what you need to know about two crucial relievers from each team.

DODGERS

Chris Hatcher, RHP. Hatcher was quietly a big part of the December trade that sent Dee Gordon to

Miami, as he'd put up an excellent 60/12 K/BB in 56 innings in his first full season with the Marlins.

However, he quickly became a focal point of fan angst as he put up ERA marks of 7.56 in April and 6.14

in May. While a .388 Batting Average on Balls in Play in the first two months pointed to some amount of

bad luck, the truth was that he simply wasn't getting the job done, as evidenced by allowing three times

as many runs (six) as strikeouts (two) in May.

Hatcher landed on the disabled list with a strained oblique on June 18 and missed two months, to the

disappointment of few. But he's been a different pitcher since his return in August, putting up a 26/6

K/BB in 20.2 innings with a sparkling 1.31 ERA, then throwing 3 1/3 shutout innings over three games of

this NLDS. It's not hard to see what changed: Hatcher averages 96.4 mph on his fastball, but he was too

predictable with it early on, throwing it 64.3 percent of the time before his injury. He's now added a

cutter since his return, and worked in his slider and splitter more often, making his high-velocity fastball

more effective.

Joel Peralta, RHP. Like Hatcher, Peralta came in an offseason trade from the Sunshine State, and like

Hatcher, it didn't go well (5.40 ERA) around a pair of trips to the disabled list, the second for a sprained

neck in early August. When he returned in September, he was stellar, striking out 11 without a walk over

nine games. Looking at his velocity chart, it's very easy to see what was different -- and his spin rate

followed the pattern as well:

Joel Peralta's 2015 velocity jumped late in the season.

Finally healthy, Peralta was able to return to his previous velocity levels, and better results came with

them. Peralta appeared in Game 1 to retire Murphy, Travis d'Arnaud, and Lucas Duda.

METS

Jeurys Familia, RHP. Familia wasn't necessarily intended to be the closer this year, really, but the various

absences of Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell forced him into the role. He turned what was intended to be

a temporary arrangement into a permanent home, putting up a sparkling 1.85 ERA and striking out 86

hitters in 78 innings. He was so dominant, in fact, that he really shouldn't even be on this list, because

you should already know all about him and we should be focusing on Hansel Robles or Addison Reed.

Yet when you're confronted with a scenario like the split-finger fastball that Familia suddenly began

throwing in August, well, you pretty much have to wedge it in wherever possible.

The average splitter is thrown around 84 mph. According to Statcast™, 40 pitchers threw the split at

least 20 times, and unsurprisingly, 18 of them averaged below 84 mph. It's now time to point out that

Familia didn't just lead the velocity leaderboards for the split, he absolutely destroyed the competition:

Fastest average velocity, split-finger fastball

1) Familia, 94.5 mph

2) Arquimedes Caminero, 89.9 mph

3) Nathan Eovaldi, 89.5 mph

4) Mark Melancon, 89.3 mph

5) Taijuan Walker, 89.0 mph

That's a difference of nearly five miles per hour over the second-place Caminero. Familia first threw the

split on Aug. 12, and his strikeout percentage jumped from a very good 26 percent to an outstanding

32.6 percent. After seeing it, Red Sox infielder Brock Holt called him "the nastiest pitcher in the world."

Jeurys Familia Splitter

Tyler Clippard, RHP. If the Mets are lacking in the bullpen, it's that they don't have a true lefty reliever,

with only regular starter Jon Niese throwing from the left side. Enter Clippard, who was acquired from

Oakland in late July and found himself facing lefties 56 percent of the time as a Met, despite the fact he

throws from the right side. It's not hard to see why; for his career, lefties have had a .257 wOBA against

him while righties have had a .285 mark, numbers that are even more strongly divergent this year. (.211

against lefties, .327 against righties.)

That's in large part due to Clippard's excellent changeup, which he used 31 percent of the time when

ahead to lefties as compared to only 13 percent when ahead to righties. Lefties had only three extra-

base hits on the change all year, hitting .141 against it. With Niese inexperienced in a relief role and

Steven Matz, the only other active lefty, unlikely to be available after starting Game 4, Clippard may be

New York's best option against lefties like Andre Ethier, Corey Seager, and Joc Pederson.

Kershaw preparing for possible NLCS Game 2 start

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Nineteen hours after his final pitch Tuesday night in New York, Clayton Kershaw was on

the field at Dodger Stadium for his usual day-after workout Wednesday afternoon.

"Got to pitch Sunday," said Kershaw, optimistic that Zack Greinke and the Dodgers will win Game 5 of

the National League Division Series on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, TBS) and advance to the NL Championship

Series against the Cubs.

Pitching on three days rest in Game 4, Kershaw allowed the Mets one run in seven innings for a 3-1 win

on Tuesday at Citi Field, keeping the Dodgers alive while snapping a personal five-game postseason

losing streak.

After a cross-country team charter flight, Kershaw said he arrived home around 4:30 a.m., slept fast,

then did some running and played some light catch at Dodger Stadium. Officially, Wednesday was a

complete day off for the team.

Kershaw's normal routine would include a regular bullpen session before Thursday's game. With Greinke

pitching Thursday and Kershaw needing five days until Game 2 of the NLCS if the Dodgers advance, the

choice for the Game 1 starter comes down to Brett Anderson or Alex Wood.

Anderson did not face the Cubs this year, while Wood went 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his only start against

them. Kershaw was 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA in two starts against Chicago with 23 strikeouts in 15 innings,

but he also allowed three home runs.

Van Slyke says he's available if Dodgers advance

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Outfielder Scott Van Slyke said his right wrist has healed and he will be available if the

Dodgers advance, which could put the roster spots of Yasiel Puig or Justin Ruggiano in jeopardy.

The Dodgers need to beat the Mets on Thursday in Game 5 of the National League Division Series (8

p.m. ET, TBS) to meet the Cubs in the NL Championship Series.

When Van Slyke was unable to swing a bat last week, the Dodgers added Puig to the initial postseason

roster, even though he had played only two games after missing five weeks with a right hamstring strain.

Van Slyke injured his wrist in early September, but after returning, he re-injured it in San Francisco the

last week of the regular season.

Ruggiano earned a roster spot with his production against left-handed pitching during Puig's absence.

Puig and Ruggiano have appeared in three games in the NLDS, including starts in Game 4 against Mets

left-hander Steven Matz, but neither has made an impact offensively. Puig is 0-for-6 with three

strikeouts and Ruggiano is 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Based on the small sample of recent play, manager Don Mattingly seems to favor Ruggiano's bat and

Puig's defense, indicating repeatedly that Puig was rusty because of his injury.

The only left-handed starter used by the Mets was Matz. The Cubs' rotation includes Jon Lester. Against

Lester, Puig is 1-for-2 with a walk, Ruggiano is 2-for-3 and Van Slyke has never faced him. Left-handed

hitting corner outfielders Carl Crawford is 10-for-36 with 10 strikeouts against Lester and Andre Ethier is

2-for-4. Against Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, Puig is 2-for-3 with a double, Ruggiano is 1-for-2 and Van Slyke

has never faced him.

Dodgers claim Brown from Rockies, DFA Johnson

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers aren't letting the postseason disrupt their incessant roster manipulation, as

they claimed right-handed pitcher Brooks Brown from the Rockies on Wednesday while designating for

assignment reliever Jim Johnson.

Brown, 30, pitched in 36 games this year with a 4.91 ERA, but he was sidelined with right shoulder

inflammation.

Johnson, acquired from the Braves in the Hector Olivera trade, was 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in 23 games

with the Dodgers.

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: Zack Greinke takes center stage

By Houston Mitchell

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and here’s a good

Game 5 omen: The Kirk Gibson home run happened 27 years ago today.

Game 5 preview

--Tonight is the night. Dodgers vs. Mets. Zack Greinke vs. Jacob deGrom. Winner moves on to the NLCS

to take on the Chicago Cubs. If you aren’t going to the game, it starts at 5 p.m. Pacific on TBS. And if you

watch it, just ignore Ron Darling. He loves the Mets and might actually cry if they lose.

--Don Mattingly has some lineup decisions to make. Justin Turner’s knee is sore, Yasmani Grandal’s

shoulder is hurt, and there is a tough right-hander on the mound. Who should he start? Here’s the

lineup I would go with:

Kiké Hernandez, CF

Howie Kendrick, 2B

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

Justin Turner, 3B

Andre Ethier, RF

Corey Seager, SS

Carl Crawford, LF

A.J. Ellis, C

I’d rather have a sore Turner out there than Seager and Jimmy Rollins on the left side of the infield. For

me, the toughest choice is in the outfield. Do you go with Crawford or Joc Pederson? Justin Ruggiano

can’t hit right-handers well, so he’s out. Yasiel Puig just doesn’t look ready to me, so he’s out. Pederson

gives you the best defensive outfield, but I just don’t see him catching up to deGrom’s fastball. You

could say the same for Crawford, but he has a lot of postseason experience and has four playoff homers

in his Dodgers career. He has a tendency to step up in big games in the past, so I would go with him. If

the Dodgers lead after six innings, I’d take him out, move Hernandez to left and put Pederson in center.

The other tough choice is catcher. Grandal is injured and hasn’t hit well in the last six weeks. Plus, I just

like Ellis better defensively behind the plate. I think he is better at working with the pitchers and making

sure they remain calm and in the game. But if I was managing the Dodgers, here’s what I would do: I

would pull Greinke aside today and privately ask him which catcher he wants behind the plate. Whoever

he picks is the one I would start.

--Another good thing about Greinke starting is it gives the Dodgers an extra bat in the lineup, because

Greinke is a good hitter and not an automatic out.

--Greinke and deGrom bumped into each other on the field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. What did

they talk about? “We were kind of just talking about when they flew in and our flight. Nothing too

serious,” deGrom told Adam Rubin of ESPN. “I had a chance to meet him at the All-Star game. Good

guy.”

--Adding to the drama is that this could be Greinke’s final start with the Dodgers. He can opt out of his

contract after the season. "If this is Zack's last season with us, I've had a great time playing with him,"

Clayton Kershaw told Times Dodgers reporter Dylan Hernandez. "Definitely some of the most fun I've

ever had watching someone pitch every five days. I hope it's not the last one." There are a lot of people

out there hoping this is not his last one.

--How about this scenario? Greinke pitches seven shutout innings and hands the ball to setup man

Clayton Kershaw, who hands the ball to closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth. Dodgers win, 1-0, on an

Adrian Gonzalez homer.

Ask Ross Porter

Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the

season. Email me a question for Ross, and I will pass it on to him. Here is his latest response:

Stan asks: I agree with what you said about Yasiel Puig. He should have been gone by now. Who would

the Cubs rather play in the NLCS, Ross?

Ross: The Cubs played the Mets seven times during the regular season, Stan, and Chicago won all seven.

The scores were 4-3, 6-1, 2-1, 6-5, 1-0, 2-0 and 6-1. The Cubs outscored the Mets, 27 to 11. Two

shutouts and three games allowing one run.

How did the Cubs fare against the Dodgers? Three wins and four losses. Do you think the Cubs might be

pulling for New York this evening?

If the Dodgers win tonight, they will be home for games 1, 2, 6 and 7. Jon Lester is due to start Game 1

for the Cubs and Jake Arrieta Game 2. That would mean Arrieta could not start three games in the NLCS.

If the Dodgers win tonight, do they start Clayton Kershaw on Saturday in Game 1 of the NLCS -- on three

days’ rest -- for the second time in eight days? Zack Greinke could pitch Game 3 on Tuesday in Chicago --

on four days’ rest.

And finally

I predict that whoever wins tonight will go on to face the Cubs in the NLCS. I hate to go out on a limb like

that, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

Could Dodgers use Clayton Kershaw out of bullpen in Game 5?

By Steve Dilbeck

Of course they could. That’s not the same as saying they will, but why not?

Clayton Kershaw threw 94 pitches Tuesday in New York. They can’t go to him for an inning two days

later?

Manager Don Mattingly was asked after Kershaw’s effort at Citi Field on Tuesday if the three-time Cy

Young Award winner would be available out of the bullpen Thursday.

“I don't know,” Mattingly said. “He'll probably want to, but I haven't really thought of that scenario. But

since the Mets might be listening, yes, he could pitch.”

Mets Manager Terry Collins said Wednesday back at Dodger Stadium that starters Noah Syndergaard

and Matt Harvey would be available in the New York bullpen.

“This is one of those games where you're in a situation where everybody's available,” Collins said.

“You're looking at Noah's going to be down there tomorrow, Matt, if we need him, they'll all be there.”

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

As they should. The season is on the line. Of course, Syndergaard hasn’t pitched since Saturday and

Harvey went Monday. Kershaw would have only one day between appearances.

But it’s not like he has to go five innings. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a roll of the dice going into the

ninth all season. If Zack Greinke only goes six or seven, the Dodgers can’t turn to Kershaw?

When the Dodgers and Mets played in the National League Championship Series in 1988, Orel Hershiser

threw seven innings in Game 3 and then came back the next night in Game 4 to earn the save in the

12th. He only faced one batter, but he was there.

Would it really place Kershaw’s career in jeopardy to throw an inning? In a win-or-go-home game? Hard

to believe he would not be up for it. The Dodgers should be too.

Zack Greinke's Game 5 start against Mets could be his last for Dodgers

By Dylan Hernandez

When the Dodgers take their home field Thursday in Game 5 of their National League division series,

they will be playing their first winner-take-all postseason game in 27 years.

The stakes are high. If they defeat the New York Mets, they will advance to the NL Championship Series

against the Chicago Cubs. If they lose, their season will be over.

For starting pitcher Zack Greinke, the game is significant for another reason: It could be his last with the

Dodgers.

Greinke, who will be opposed by Game 1 winner Jacob deGrom, has the option of voiding the last three

years of his contract and becoming a free agent when the season ends. He would forfeit a guaranteed

$71 million, but is expected to find a more lucrative deal on the open market.

"If this is Zack's last season with us, I've had a great time playing with him," left-hander Clayton Kershaw

said. "Definitely some of the most fun I've ever had watching someone pitch every five days. I hope it's

not the last one."

Greinke has declined to speak about his impending decision. While he didn't reveal any of his plans

during a Wednesday conference call, he did reflect on his three seasons in Los Angeles.

"I really can't think of anything not positive to say about the whole experience," Greinke said.

When he spoke last year about his contract situation, Greinke said what he would do would be based in

part on the contracts Max Scherzer and Jon Lester landed.

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

Scherzer signed for $210 million over seven years with the Washington Nationals, Lester for $155 million

over six with the Cubs.

With Andrew Friedman as their president of baseball operations, the Dodgers have emphasized the

importance of building for the future and maintaining roster flexibility.

Greinke turns 32 next week, which could make the Dodgers hesitant to offer that kind of deal. But if

they don't, someone else probably will; Greinke could enter the market as the NL Cy Young Award

winner.

He was 19-3 with a 1.66 earned-run average in the regular season. If the Dodgers' postseason run

continues, he could also be an October hero. He won Game 2 of the NLDS by limiting the Mets to two

runs in seven innings.

On Thursday, he will be following Kershaw, who won Game 3 on three days' rest.

"We have the same confidence in Greinke that we have in Kershaw," first baseman Adrian Gonzalez

said.

Greinke is expected to pitch in Game 5 without his regular catcher, Yasmani Grandal. The switch-hitting

Grandal experienced renewed discomfort in his left shoulder in Game 3.

With Kershaw pitching and the Mets starting a left-hander in Steven Matz in Game 4, A.J. Ellis started at

catcher.

Manager Don Mattingly handicapped Grandal's chances of playing Thursday at "50-50."

"I don't think catching's going to be any kind of issue," Mattingly said. "It's just a matter of, is he going to

be able to swing the bat pain free?"

When Greinke threw on flat ground Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, he threw to Ellis, who is on a

franchise postseason record 12-game hitting streak.

Greinke said he felt comfortable throwing to either catcher.

"They both have different strengths," Greinke said. "A.J.'s probably the best pitch-caller and working

with a pitcher on what's working and stuff similar to that. Yas works really well with me and his physical

skills and baseball skills are as good as anyone in the game, with framing and blocking and throwing."

Perhaps the more significant obstacle will be deGrom, who outpitched Kershaw in Game 1.

With a fastball that was frequently clocked at 97 mph or faster, deGrom blanked the Dodgers over the

first seven innings of a 3-1 Mets victory.

Kershaw said of the showdown between Greinke and deGrom: "It's probably dead even, to be honest.

As good as Zack is, and has been the whole year, deGrom has been the same."

Greinke likened deGrom to Noah Syndergaard, the power pitcher he beat in Game 2.

"They both have amazing fastballs," Greinke said. "I just think deGrom might have a little more control."

DeGrom had 13 strikeouts in Game 1.

"Hopefully, he makes some mistakes, to be honest with you," second baseman Howie Kendrick said with

a laugh.

With the Mets expected to field a lineup that includes four left-handed-hitters, Greinke could use his

own fastball less than usual.

"I feel like, in general, lefties hit fastballs from right-handed pitchers better than right-handers hit

fastballs from right-handed pitchers," Greinke said. "So if you look at how I pitched them last time, I

threw more fastballs to their righties and less fastballs to their lefties."

The last time the Dodgers played a winner-take-all game was in the 1988 NL Championship Series.

Their opponents that day: The Mets. The Dodgers won, 6-0, and went on to win the World Series.

The winning pitcher in that game, Orel Hershiser, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday.

Dodgers' and Mets' setup situations add to the suspense

By Bill Shaikin

The clock will strike 5. Zack Greinke will take the mound. The Dodgers and New York Mets will play

Thursday, with the winning team getting the Chicago Cubs and the losing team clearing out lockers for

the winter.

When the clock strikes 7, pay particular attention. What happens in the innings between the starter and

the closer might well determine which team advances to the National League Championship Series.

For the Dodgers and Mets, that bridge has been unstable, and under construction, all summer. Although

the fan bases might be loath to accept reality, the wondrous bullpen relay team that the Kansas City

Royals rode to the World Series last season — Kelvin Herrera in the seventh inning, Wade Davis in the

eighth, Greg Holland in the ninth — is an exception to rule.

That rule: Nothing in baseball is more volatile than the performance of relief pitchers.

"When you're looking at the Kansas City side, they've got three power guys," Mets Manager Terry

Collins said. "To find three power guys to be able to do that is an oddity."

The Dodgers hoped to present a reasonable facsimile by closing with Pedro Baez, Chris Hatcher and

Kenley Jansen, three guys who light up a radar gun.

Baez gave up a two-run single to the first batter he faced in Game 1 and did not retire any of the three

batters he faced in Game 3.

In Game 4, the Dodgers asked Hatcher to get three outs in the eighth inning — "That's Hatch's inning,"

Manager Don Mattingly said — and Hatcher got two. That forced the Dodgers to rush in Jansen for a

four-out save.

Said Mattingly: "I think every manager in baseball would love to say, 'OK, here's where we're going to go

in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and we know it.' It changes your whole thinking process.

"That doesn't happen very often."

In July, the Dodgers traded for a setup man in Jim Johnson, who had 50-save seasons in 2012 and 2013

and a 2.25 earned-run average this season. His ERA was 10.13 for the Dodgers, who left him off the

postseason roster and, on Wednesday, designated him for assignment.

The best of the setup men available at the trade deadline appeared to be Tyler Clippard, who said he

had his heard name linked with the Dodgers. Clippard closed the regular season by giving up 10 runs in

12 2/3 innings.

In Game 1, the Mets asked Clippard to get three outs in the eighth inning. He got two, and gave up two

hits. That forced the Mets to rush in closer Jeurys Familia for a four-out save.

It is difficult to envision a scenario in which the Dodgers and Mets can bypass their setup corps entirely.

Jacob deGrom, who starts Thursday for the Mets, made a season-high 121 pitches in Game 1. His career

high is 122 pitches; he faced six fewer batters in his next start.

The Mets plan to have starters Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey available in relief, for what Collins

said would be no more than an inning or two each.

Mattingly said it is unlikely that the Dodgers would use Clayton Kershaw in relief. Greinke, who will start

for the Dodgers, worked seven innings in Game 2, on 110 pitches. Greinke made 30 starts during the

regular season, only four with more than 110 pitches.

"Just since I've been here, the first year in the playoffs with [Brian] Wilson and Kenley, I felt like those

were probably as good of eight-nine inning guys as there were," Greinke said. "Last year, we had a little

more issues in the eighth inning.

"This year, I feel like Hatcher's been pitching pretty amazing as of late. So I feel pretty confident with

those last two innings."

The relief pitcher most frequently deployed by the Mets is not even a relief pitcher, unless Bartolo Colon

is starting a second career at 42.

Colon, who made his major league debut in 1997 and won the Cy Young Award for the Angels in 2005,

entered postseason play with 485 career appearances, never on consecutive days. He has pitched in

each of the past three games in this series, including Monday and Tuesday.

When the Mets want a ground ball for a double play, he's their guy.

"You've got to accept the fact that he's not a strikeout guy," Collins said. "When you're looking at the

back end of a bullpen, there are a lot of situations where you need to get a strikeout, but where he's

going to make 'em swing the bat."

A setup man on either side could be the most valuable player in Game 5. There might not be a trophy to

collect, but perhaps the prize could be a colorful T-shirt, a copy of the one that made its way around the

Mets' clubhouse on the final weekend of the regular season.

On the T-shirt: a picture of the 5-foot-11, 283-pound Colon. Beneath the picture, these words: "Big

Sexy."

Don Mattingly says Yasmani Grandal has 50% chance of playing in Game 5 of NLDS

By Steve Dilbeck

That sore shoulder that has bothered catcher Yasmani Grandal for over two months may have finally

gotten the better of him, and at very much the wrong time.

Grandal did not play in Game 4 of the National League Division Series after grimacing swinging in Game

3 and now Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said there’s only a 50% chance he’ll be able to play in

Thursday’s decisive Game 5.

“Yas is maybe a little bit more on the 50-50 line, depending on once he tests the swing and what he's

going to be able to do,” Mattingly said. “I don't think catching's going to be any kind of an issue. It's just

a matter of, is he going to be able to swing the bat pain?”

Grandal caught Thursday’s starter Zack Greinke in Game 2, as he has most of the season. He caught 26

of Greinke’s 32 games started in the regular season.

But if he’s unable to play, A.J. Ellis would get the start. The Dodgers could also elect to replace him on

the roster, but that would also make him ineligible for the next round of playoffs should the Dodgers win

Thursday.

“We haven't really talked about that,” Mattingly said. “I don't think it would be, but I guess it's a

possibility if we get there tomorrow and he absolutely can't lift his arm.”

Mattingly said Grandal’s range of motion with the shoulder had improved some Wednesday.

Grandal was an All-Star after a strong first half, but after taking a nasty foul tip off his left (non-throwing)

shoulder in Philadelphia in early August, he hit just .064 (six for 94). He has one hit in eight playoff at-

bats against the Mets with four strikeouts.

Is Justin Turner's knee a growing concern for the Dodgers?

By Steve Dilbeck

Justin Turner, the guy the Mets didn’t want, has become an almost indispensable part of this Dodgers

team.

So much so that anyone who saw him grimace making that spinning stop of Wilmer Flores’ hot bouncer

in the seventh inning has to be concerned.

Turner has been battling a bad knee pretty much the entire season and it was already flaring up in the

series prior to that play. After landing on the infield dirt and then twisting around to make the throw

that enabled Clayton Kershaw to complete his first clean postseason seventh inning in four starts, he

batted in the top of the eighth and then left the game.

“He was a little sore yesterday during the game,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “He had some swelling.

He was able to play, but as the game went on, he was going to have trouble moving.

“I expect J.T. to be able to play,” Mattingly added Wednesday in a conference call. “I don’t think there’s

been a huge difference, a change from (Tuesday) in what he’s able to do."

If the knee were to become so aggravated that he could not play, the Dodgers’ modest offense would be

in trouble. Turner is batting .467 in the division series with four doubles.

Their backup third basemen are Corey Seager, Chase Utley and Enrique Hernandez. And they don’t really

want to play Utley (a lifelong second baseman) or Hernandez (now starting in center) at third, where

they have little experience.

Turner, a nonroster invitee a year ago who made the club as a utility player, is now one of the rocks in

the middle of the lineup. The infielder the Mets let go two years ago is a player the Dodgers can’t afford

to lose.

For now, he’s gutting it out and trying to keep it under as much control as he can. But at some point the

Dodgers have to fear the knee will bark too loudly for Turner to keep going.

Amp up the drama in winner-take-all Game 5 for Dodgers and Mets

By Steve Dilbeck

And now for some big-boy baseball, the kind you dream about when the playoffs start. The kind that too

seldom is delivered.

Only it’s here now, a winner-take-all Game 5 Thursday with two of baseball’s best pitchers -- the

Dodgers’ Zack Greinke vs. the Mets’ Jacob deGrom. It’s a goosebumps game.

The Dodgers haven’t been in this kind of postseason situation since 1988 when … they beat the Mets in

Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

Greinke vs. deGrom could make for a classic postseason pitching duel. Both won their first starts in the

best-of-five series, though deGrom was the more dominant.

“You know what, it's probably dead even, to be honest,” Clayton Kershaw said. “As good as Zack is and

has been the whole year, deGrom has been the same.”

All deGrom did in Game 1 was strike out 13 in seven innings and outpitch Kershaw. For the Dodgers to

beat him, they’re going to have to do something they’ve been unable to do in 2015 -- actually score a

run off him.

DeGrom held the Dodgers scoreless for 7 2/3 innings on July 26 -- pitching against Greinke -- and then in

series opener. In 14 2/3 innings against the Dodgers this year he’s struck out 21, walked three and

allowed only seven hits.

He had a more difficult time in 2014, his rookie season, against the Dodgers, going 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in

two starts. This year, however, he’s a mountain they haven’t been close to climbing.

Greinke went 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA in the regular season, and was 10-1 with a 1.46 ERA at Dodger

Stadium. In Game 2 he allowed two runs on solo homers, the game the Dodgers came back to win after

Chase Utley’s now infamous slide.

Two of the best, a fired up Dodger Stadium, an invite to host Game 1 of the NLCS against the Cubs on

the line. It’s now at hand.

Dodgers designate Jim Johnson and claim Brooks Brown from Rockies

By Steve Dilbeck

The Dodgers’ front office just can’t help itself: The roster is a never-ending source of intrigue and

challenge, even in the middle of the postseason.

So they went at it again, officially ending the Dodger career of reliever Jim Johnson by designating him

for assignment to make roster room for the claiming of Rockies right-hander Brooks Brown.

Johnson, who had been the closer for the Braves when the Dodgers made him part of that 13-player,

deadline deal, was mostly a large disappointment in Los Angeles. He was left off the playoff roster and

allowed to go home.

In 23 games with the Dodgers, Johnson went 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA.

Brown, 30, made 36 relief appearances for the Rockies last season, going 1-4, with a 4.91 ERA and a fat

1.46 WHIP.

Of course, last off-season, the Dodgers’ new front office made all kinds of roster moves, only to jettison

new players for yet another waiver claim. The chances of Brown being in Camelback Ranch in February

have to be 50-50.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers' Justin Turner won't gloat about success against Mets, his former team

By Bill Plunkett

LOS ANGELES – Two years ago, the New York Mets had no use for Justin Turner. Now, they have no

answer for him.

The Dodgers third baseman has raked his former team for seven hits in the first four games of the

National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Mets, including four doubles, for a .467

average and 1.233 OPS with three RBI. Those are the kind of numbers that have sweet revenge written

all over them.

But Turner has insisted repeatedly over the past two seasons that he harbors no ill will toward the Mets,

saying, “That chapter’s closed” despite the fact they left him an unemployed utilityman at age 28 when

they made him a non-tendered free agent after the 2013 season.

As well as he has swung at Mets pitching in this series, Turner has taken a pass at the recurring

questions from New York media trying to prod some gloating from him.

“That stuff’s all in the past,” he said again after Game 4 Tuesday night. “Has no effect on me. I’m a

Dodger. Happy to be a Dodger.”

When Turner was asked if he at least appreciated the irony in his situation, teammate A.J. Ellis

intercepted the question.

“We appreciate it,” Ellis said. “We’re happy they didn’t like him anymore and he was able to come to

L.A. because the guy’s been the key cog in the middle of our lineup along with Adrian (Gonzalez). We’re

not here without those two guys on the corner.

“This guy can hit all different types of pitching – righties, lefties, it doesn’t matter. There’s nobody else –

him and Adrian. They’re the two guys when you get runners on base, we’re really confident in our

dugout. Not that the result is always going to be great but you know the at-bat is going to be quality and

professional and that’s awesome to have on your team.”

Whether the Mets appreciated what they had in Turner, they couldn’t have known what they had.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw recalled facing Turner in the minors and he admits he didn’t know.

“I played him a lot in Low-A (Class-A), faced him quite a few times and he was a very good hitter in Low-

A – a tough guy to get out,” Kershaw said. “Even when he was with the Mets he always was pinch-hitting

against lefties. I think he started against me a few times and was a really tough at-bat (Turner was 1 for

12 against Kershaw).

“Honestly, I never thought he’d be this good of a hitter. You know, he’s one of the best hitters in the

game. So it’s really, really impressive to see what he’s been able to do since he got to us. We thought

he’d be a great utility player and he’s turned out to be our 3-, 4-hole hitter and our starting third

baseman. Can’t say enough about him.”

Turner has blossomed with the Dodgers, but he says the roots of the transformation go back to the 2013

season with the Mets. Veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd joined the Mets that season, trying to restart his

career after a 50-game suspension for a positive PED test and a winter spent playing in the Mexican

League.

The two talked hitting philosophies and Turner found himself drawn to what he was hearing. Even after

the Mets failed to offer him a contract that winter, Turner continued to work with Byrd on a new hitting

approach – a more aggressive, attacking style featuring a more exaggerated leg kick and a contact point

more out in front.

The results over the past two seasons with the Dodgers have been dramatic – a .314 average, .876 OPS

and 23 home runs, including 16 this season (topping his career total of 15 in his first six seasons).

“Meeting Marlon Byrd in 2013 was a huge part of my career,” Turner said this week. “I started talking to

him about hitting and really kind of turned my year around in 2013 and finished feeling really good.

Then that offseason, going to hit with him and his hitting guy kind of changed my outlook on how I was

approaching things. In the middle of your career, 29 years old, it’s kind of scary to change everything

you’ve done your whole life and I’m pretty thankful that I trusted it and went with it because I’ve felt

pretty good ever since.

“I guess I gotta thank the Mets for bringing Marlon in here.”

The only thing that seems capable of slowing Turner down is chronic knee problems. Tendinitis in his left

knee has flared up again this week, the joint stiffening during the Dodgers’ cross-country flight to New

York on Sunday. Turner never came on the field for the pregame workout Tuesday, spending most of

that time getting treatment instead.

The Cal State Fullerton product made an outstanding play on a ground ball to his left to end the seventh

inning in Game 4 and could be seen grimacing as he bounced to his feet. Dodgers manager Don

Mattingly pulled him for the final two innings of both Games 3 and 4.

“I expect JT to be able to play (Game 5),” Mattingly said Wednesday after the Dodgers returned to Los

Angeles. “I don’t think there’s been a huge different change from yesterday with what he was able to

do.”

Turner was asked about his sore knee following Game 4.

“It’s still on my leg,” Turner said. “So I will be good to go on Thursday.”

As Dodgers face Mets in Game 5, expect more police at stadium

By Ryan Kartje

In light of a violent assault outside of Dodger Stadium on Friday night, Los Angeles police will have an

increased presence at today’s decisive Dodgers playoff game.

This action comes even as the LAPD labeled the incident, which left one man in critical condition and

triggered memories of the highly publicized 2011 assault of Bryan Stow, “an anomaly” and not a

dangerous trend. LAPD Lt. John Jenal said Wednesday it was the first physical altercation that required

hospitalization since Stow was assaulted on Opening Day 2011.

The LAPD would not disclose specific plans for deployment increases but reiterated Wednesday that the

department was confident Dodger Stadium would be “a family-friendly environment” when it hosts the

New York Mets in Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series.

“The department is looking at this very seriously,” Jenal said. “We don’t want any kind of reputation to

start up that Dodger Stadium is an unsafe place to go.”

“Safety in this city is my top priority, and the attack last Friday night was a tragedy that must not be

repeated,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti added in a statement. “The LAPD meets regularly with the

Dodgers to ensure that games are safe for the community and visitors – particularly for high-profile

games. In light of Friday’s terrible incident, we have heightened security for all home games with

uniformed LAPD officers.”

Friday’s assault called that safety into question for the second time in five years after a man – believed

to be a Mets fan – was attacked by two assailants in Lot L around 10:30 p.m. The victim has not yet been

identified or questioned by the LAPD, though the department is searching for a mother and son who are

believed to be the perpetrators.

The incident bore a striking resemblance to the savage beating of Stow on Opening Day 2011, which left

Stow, a Giants fan, with permanent brain damage. Stow’s civil case alleged that the assault would have

been preventable if the Dodgers had an increased stadium security presence.

A jury ruled in favor of Stow in July 2014 and ordered the Dodgers, ruled negligent in the case, to pay

$13.9 million.

“After that incident,” Jenal said, “it definitely was time for reflection and getting better.”

The LAPD said Wednesday that changes put in place since Stow’s 2011 assault, along with further

collaboration with the Dodgers security staff, have improved the stadium’s security. In the past five

years, the stadium has averaged slightly more than 3.5 million fans per season.

The Dodgers had no comment Wednesday.

Beginning this season, the department instituted a zero-tolerance crackdown on tailgating outside of

Dodger Stadium, which Jenal said has been “strictly enforced” and led to fewer arrests. The LAPD also

has dedicated more bicycle officers and enforcement to the parking lot areas.

The parking lot presents the stadium’s most pressing security issues as both Friday’s assault and the

2011 incident took place outside of the stadium. In light of both incidents, the LAPD said it will review its

strategic plans for security in those areas and increase its presence where necessary. But, ultimately, the

stadium’s multitiered parking lot design presents “a bit of a challenge.”

“Since Bryan Stow, we have enhanced the security at Dodger Stadium significantly,” LAPD Chief Charlie

Beck told reporters Tuesday. “But it’s a big facility, and you can’t be everywhere all the time.”

Along with Friday’s assault, the two playoff games at Dodger Stadium last weekend produced four

nonviolent arrests by LAPD officers, which according to Jenal is “very minimal.”

Miller: After spinning the wheel of misfortune, the pick here is deGrom, Mets over Dodgers

By Gregory Bull

Let me begin this prediction column by saying I never would have predicted writing it in the first place.

I had the Dodgers losing Game 4 Tuesday as sure as Clayton Kershaw is left-handed.

I figured my next Dodgers column would be questioning yet another of Don Mattingly’s decisions, this

one to become, now that he’d been relieved of his job with the Dodgers, manager of the Marlins.

See, there’s another prediction I absolutely was certain of, one that still could come true if Mattingly is

unable to prevent the Dodgers from losing Game 5 to New York on Thursday.

My thinking entering Game 4 wasn’t exactly scholarly. Since we’d all seen the Dodgers and Kershaw fail

in similar situations before, I figured why believe anything will be different until given a reason to

believe.

It’s the same logic I applied in May to the Ducks’ Game 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s

Western Conference finals.

The Ducks then went out, fell behind 4-0 barely halfway through the game and made me look like a

genius for having the ability to forecast something so obvious Pat Haden wouldn’t have missed it.

Then again, I’m something of a hockey expert, knowing the sport well enough to understand Barry

Melrose must be taken seriously, even if his hair appears to be the discarded pelt of a weasel.

Kershaw, though, boldly and impressively made new history Tuesday, producing seven brilliant innings

as the Dodgers stretched this National League Division Series to its limit with a 3-1 victory.

Talk about providing a reason to believe! Maybe, before the start of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, the

Ducks should sign Kershaw. I have no idea if he can even stand up on skates, but, honestly, he couldn’t

be any worse than the Ducks have been when facing elimination, right?

I’d like to tell you I have an undeniable grasp on what will happen Thursday, a very clear vision of which

team will advance to the NL Championship Series to face the Chicago Cubs.

But, before the season began, I had the Cubs finishing fourth in their division, my prediction of a

Cardinals-Red Sox World Series also now unlikely to occur without the intervention of baseball-loving

space aliens.

Back in April, we asked six of our staff members to forecast this season. I’m not interested in

embarrassing any specific individuals here, but I will mention that none of us had the Mets even making

the playoffs.

Baseball, with its randomness and oddities and volatility – and that’s just in the Dodgers’ bullpen – can

be an almost impossible sport to predict. I sincerely believe this newspaper, in seeking preseason

wisdom, would have been justified in polling six chickens.

In a more blunt assessment, each one of us had the eventual AL West-champion Texas Rangers finishing

last in the division.

One of us had Kansas City, the team that ended up with the AL’s best record, last in the Central, too.

Again, I’m not interested in embarrassing any specific individuals here, so I won’t mention that it was

Pedro Moura or that he can be mocked directly at pmoura@ocregister.com.

The Dodgers are favored in Game 5, which speaks to their starting pitcher, Zack Greinke, and their

standing as the home team.

But they were favored in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, as well, and that didn’t stop the Mets’ Jacob

deGrom from outpitching Kershaw and making the Dodger hitters look like baffled game show

contestants.

Heck, Pat Sajak is routinely spotted at Dodger Stadium and maybe now we know why, his presence

Thursday perhaps, for the home team, representing a wheel of misfortune.

Of particular note in Game 1, Carl Crawford appeared to have no chance against deGrom, which actually

was better than Adrian Gonzalez, who, versus the New York righty, worked three of the emptiest full

counts in baseball history, each ending in a strikeout.

I’m tempted to pick the Dodgers, sure, figuring the people in Las Vegas establishing the odds for

sporting events know this stuff pretty well. Or at least well enough to retain the majority of their fingers.

How else could they keep typing?

Yet, I can’t get past the image of deGrom, his fastball exploding toward home plate amid all that hair

erupting from beneath his cap, fooling Andre Ethier into a Game 1 swing that was halfhearted but fully

pathetic.

So, I’m going to go with the Mets, in a tight game decided in the final two innings. Possible New York

Post headline: “Chase Chased; Fracture This, Utley!”

I’m going to go with the Mets against the Cubs in an NLCS that will be immediately preceded by a million

questions – and only one answer – about Mattingly’s future.

Frankly, I feel awfully good about this prediction, almost as certain as I once was about the Cardinals

beating the Red Sox in a World Series matchup that will never happen.

Dodgers' Greinke knows the meaning of spin

By Pedro Moura

LOS ANGELES – In Surprise, Ariz., in February 2007, a 23-year-old Zack Greinke approached a veteran

pitcher named Zach Day as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training for the Kansas City Royals.

“Hey, I’m Zack,” Greinke said. “How are you, Zach? I’ve been following your career since I was a kid

because you were the only pitcher with my name.”

Day came up in 2002 with the Montreal Expos and hung around as a sinkerballer. At the point they met,

he was hoping to recover from rotator cuff surgery and cling to his career. Greinke was returning from a

season spent away from the major leagues after his social anxiety disorder diagnosis.

Greinke’s stature has sufficiently risen in the years since. When he takes the mound Thursday in the

decisive Game 5 of the NLDS, he will do so as a Cy Young favorite.

Day did not make the Royals that spring. Now, he works as a pitching coordinator for TrackMan

Baseball, the creator of a military-grade Doppler radar system that uses 20,000 measurements per

second to quantify 27 different measurables, including the spin rate on pitches and the exit velocity for

batted balls.

In the eight years since their meeting, Day has followed Greinke’s career intently, looking at the Dodgers

right-hander as an example of how he hopes many pitchers will one day adapt to their craft.

“If I could provide any advice to a pitcher, it’d be to learn to pitch at a lower effort than you can, and

understand what numbers from this data can get you results without the data,” Day said recently. “I

think that’s where Zack’s at. He’s like: I do this and this to this ball, it’s still gonna be effective.”

Spin rate is a fairly simple metric, measured in revolutions per minute. The more RPM on a thrown

baseball, the more likely it is to be swung at and missed. The less RPM, the more likely it is to be hit on

the ground.

TrackMan has been tracking it for major league teams since St. Louis adopted it in 2012. This year, with

some TrackMan data synthesized into the Statcast content shared online, it has become a hot topic,

often cited by Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

At recent count, Greinke’s average spin rate on his four-seam fastball was 2,403 RPM, in the 89th

percentile league-wide among pitchers who’d thrown 200 or more fastballs, according to Statcast data

provided by MLB.com. His slider was also in the 89th percentile.

One of the first ballplayers to be open with his appreciation for sabermetrics, Greinke is familiar with

spin rate. He denied knowing his particular numbers, but expressed intrigue in the fluctuations present

throughout a season.

“Ideally you’d like to have a lot, but I don’t think you can adjust it,” Greinke said. “It just kinda is what it

is. But maybe they’ll figure out a way in the future. Or maybe they have, and I just don’t know about it.

It’ll be interesting to see if we ever figure out how to help pitchers using it. I don’t know if we will. But,

maybe.”

Day believes spin rate and the accompanying TrackMan data will eventually alter baseball. Once teams

are accustomed to tracking how their pitchers are tiring in a data-fueled way, it could make pitch counts

“obsolete.” He says he suspects more veterans will “resurrect their careers because of it.” In the same

way PGA Tour golfers have TrackMan units installed at home to tinker with their swings, major-league

pitchers could do the same.

“Understanding your pitches, understanding your ability, it’s all black and white right there on the

paper,” Day said.

Greinke’s Dodgers teammates have testified that he does both of those better than most.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw’s pre-start routine is time-honored and well-publicized. He wakes up at

the same time, eats and drinks the same perishables, and throws the same number of pitches in the

bullpen before every game.

Greinke’s – well, “Nobody knows what Zack does,” teammate Brett Anderson said.

Greinke’s explanation: “I just try to keep it as simple as possible. Sometimes that’s not possible, but

that’s what you try. That’s what the goal is.”

This was Anderson's first season with Greinke, and likely their last together. Greinke can, and is

expected to, opt out of his contract after the World Series, and Anderson will be a free agent.

He enjoyed coming to understand Greinke's mystery.

“I’m sure the same could be said about me, but when you’re watching him from afar, you’re thinking,

‘This guy’s a little weird,’” Anderson said. “You get here, you think he’s going to be a recluse and sit in

the corner and not speak to anybody, but that’s not really the case either.”

Teammates say Greinke is sarcastic, dry, and tuned to his own key.

“Watching him during the game, he can recite stats that happened years ago,” said Anderson, the

Dodgers’ probable NLCS Game 1 starter should they win Thursday. “A guy pinch-hits: ‘So-and-so had a

batting average of X after the seventh inning in 2010.’

“How the hell does that pop into your head? How do you remember that, and how do you remember

that in the midst of a game? That’s kind of the way he operates.”

Dodgers notes: NLCS would start Saturday - but Kershaw probably would not

By Bill Plunkett

LOS ANGELES – If the Dodgers beat the New York Mets on Thursday night in Game 5 of their National

League Division Series, they would advance to the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs

beginning Saturday at Dodger Stadium – three days after Clayton Kershaw was outstanding pitching on

three days rest.

But Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said it was unlikely Kershaw would be asked to make a second

consecutive start on short rest.

“We just kind of planned up to this point and we’ll see where we go from there,” Mattingly said Tuesday

night in New York after Kershaw allowed just three hits in seven innings to win Game 4. “I don’t look too

far ahead. But we probably wouldn’t go short-rest/short-rest, I wouldn’t think. If we’re able to get the

ball back to him (in the next round), that means we’re in a seven-game (series) and I don’t think we

would do that.”

Kershaw has started on short rest three times now, once in the NLDS each of the past three post-

seasons. The Dodgers have won two of the three games and Kershaw has a 1.89 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in

those short-rest starts. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Kershaw’s fastball averaged 94.5 mph during his

Game 4 start Tuesday night, his highest fastball average in a start in the past five seasons.

So would Mattingly considering using Kershaw in relief in the winner-take-all Game 5 Thursday night?

“I don’t know. He’ll probably want to but I really haven’t thought of that scenario,” Mattingly said. “But

since the Mets might be listening – Yes, he could pitch.”

The first two games of the NLCS would start at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Dodger Stadium – or 8

p.m. ET at Citi Field.

VAN SLYKE HEALED

The wrist problem that led to outfielder Scott Van Slyke being left off the Dodgers’ roster for the NLDS

against the Mets has improved and Van Slyke has been taking batting practice again.

Van Slyke had inflammation in his right wrist during the final week of the regular season and got a

cortisone injection in the wrist. He was unable to swing a bat for several days.

Van Slyke said he is “ready, willing and able” to play if the Dodgers were to advance to the NLCS and add

him to the roster. Yasiel Puig made the NLDS roster, essentially in Van Slyke’s spot as a reserve right-

handed hitting outfielder. Puig is hitless in six at-bats in the series with three strikeouts.

ROSTER CHURN

Like shopaholics, the Dodgers’ front office just can’t stop.

On the day off between Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS, they claimed right-handed reliever Brooks Brown

on waivers from the Colorado Rockies and designated reliever Jim Johnson for assignment.

Johnson was acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline with the hope that he would help

solidify the Dodgers’ bullpen. He did nothing of the kind. Johnson was 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in 23 games

for the Dodgers.

Brown, 30, is 1-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 64 relief appearances for the Rockies over the past two seasons. A

first-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Brown made the majors for the first time last

season and had a 2.77 ERA and a .208 opponents’ batting average in 28 games. He was limited by

shoulder problems this season.

NOTES

Mattingly said catcher Yasmani Grandal is “50-50” to play in Game 5. Grandal’s ongoing shoulder issues

have flared up again. The problem affects his swing but not his ability to catch. During the regular

season, Grandal started 26 of Game 5 starter Zack Greinke’s 32 starts as well as Game 2 in the NLDS. A.J.

Ellis caught just 47 innings from Greinke during the regular season (Grandal caught the other 175 2/3). …

Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu has begun a throwing program. Ryu had labrum surgery in April.

NLDS Game 5: Mets at Dodgers, Thursday, 5 p.m.

By Pedro Moura

Where: Dodger Stadium

TV: TBS, 5 p.m.

Did you know: The first two games of the NLCS, should the Dodgers get there, will begin Saturday and

Sunday at 5 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

THE PITCHERS

RHP ZACK GREINKE (19-3, 1.66 ERA)

This could be Greinke’s last start as a Dodger. He has had tremendous success in his three seasons

pitching in Dodger Stadium as his home ballpark, and he'll have the opportunity this offseason to opt

out of the remaining three years on his deal and either sign elsewhere or return to Los Angeles on a

likely longer contract. He turns 32 next week.

Vs. Mets (regular season): 3-1, 2.48

At Dodger Stadium (regular season): 29-5, 2.00

Loves to face: Kelly Johnson, 0 for 9

Hates to face: Lucas Duda, 3 for 12 (.250), 1 HR, 2 BB

Postseason history: 3-2, 3.48

RHP JACOB DEGROM (14-8, 2.54 ERA)

DeGrom is a 27-year-old late bloomer who played shortstop in college at Stetson. Since making his

major-league debut last year, he has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball. His All-Star Game

performance nearly stole Mike Trout's show this year. Of course, deGrom also outpitched Clayton

Kershaw in the Mets’ Game 1 win.

Vs. Dodgers (regular season): 0-2, 3.66

At Dodger Stadium (regular season): 0-1, 7.50

Loves to face: Justin Turner, 0 for 5, 1 SO

Hates to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 3 for 8 (.375), 2 HR, 5 RBI

Postseason history: 1-0, 0.00

LA DAILY NEWS

Kiké Hernandez knows his role for Dodgers in Game 5 By Mark Whicker Kiké Hernandez has approached most of this season like it’s his first trip to Raging Waters. The Dodgers are appreciative of his hitting and pedal-down style, but mostly they’re happy when he’s out of their dugout. “I don’t like sitting there with all this energy,” Hernandez said. “The crowd kinda helps me a little bit. My teammates are pretty annoyed with me when I’m not playing. I love it when it’s electric, when it’s loud, when you can’t hear what the person is saying next to you.”

No one who has watched this National League Division Series thinks Hernandez should be held in abeyance for Thursday night’s Game 5, the most important night in Dodger Stadium since Orel Hershiser bedazzled the Mets in 1988. But the Dodgers’ lineup card works in mysterious ways, and we’ll see if he or Joc Pederson plays center field. Hernandez, the side dish in the trade that sent Dee Gordon to Miami during the winter meetings, is 4-for-10 against the Mets in this series. During the season, his .423 average against lefties was the best of all N.L. players with more than 50 ABs. More significantly, he has no bad memories of Game 5 starter Jacob deGrom because he didn’t play in Game 1, when DeGrom struck out every Dodger starter except Justin Turner. Then Hernandez’s effervescence kicked off the fun in Game 2. Hernandez, hitting eighth, got the first hit off the Mets’ Noah Syndegaard, leading off the third at a time when the Dodgers were considering taking lightsabers to the plate against Syndergaard’s interstellar stuff. Hernandez didn’t score in that inning, but got a one-out walk in the seventh and stole second. It happened to be the first successful steal of his big-league career. Then, while Utley was chop-blocking Ruben Tejada on Howie Kendrick’s grounder, Hernandez was scoring the tying run in a game the Dodgers eventually won, 5-2. And in Game 4, he was on base three times for Clayton Kershaw. Anything that animates the stoic Dodgers is good, especially with a desperately hopeful crowd Thursday night. Hernandez is a blithe spirit who rides into the clubhouse on a PunkeeDuck, which is billed as “the next mode of transportation.” He is most famous for the Banana Suit, which grew out of the superstition of holding a Rally Banana to launch rallies. He was on the disabled list when the Dodgers ground out a significant 14-inning win over the Giants at Dodger Stadium, but club president Andrew Friedman urged him to wear a banana suit in the dugout anyway and told Hernandez he would pay whatever fine is imposed. The banana suits are spotted all over the ballpark these days, even in the heat. Hernandez is weary of discussing them. None of these gags go over well if you’re hitting .180., but Hernandez hit .307 in the regular season with a .490 slugging percentage. He has played second, shortstop, third, left, center and right during his official rookie season. He is here because Friedman’s regime did its homework. The Dodgers traded Gordon and Dan Haren to Miami for reliever Chris Hatcher, catcher Austin Barnes, pitcher Andrew Heaney and Hernandez. Then they sent Heaney to Anaheim for second baseman Howie Kendrick, who replaced Gordon.

Gordon did lead the N.L. in batting average, hits and steals. But Hatcher has become an important setup reliever, Barnes was one of the best catchers in the minors, and Hernandez has deepened and enlivened the Dodgers. Hernandez, who grew up in Puerto Rico, was a seventh-round draft pick by Houston, then traded to Miami. The Astros had Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the middle infield. “I either start playing other positions or get stuck in the minor leagues,” Hernandez said. He told minor league manager Rodney Linares he could be an emergency outfielder. “It took me two weeks to convince him,” Hernandez said, His dad coached him and then became a scout for the Pirates, and Hernandez remembers “power-shagging” at 10 years old, in the outfield with major leaguers like Alex Rios, Carlos Beltran and Pudge Rodriguez during Puerto Rican winter ball. “You have to know your role,” he said. “If you’re going to have a bad attitude because you’re not playing, you don’t deserve to be in the big leagues. It’s 162 games and six months nonstop. If you’re not having fun, it can seem like 10 years.” Ten years is a snap of the fingers for Dodgers fans who haven’t seen a World Series in a generation. No point in leaving the bananas on the trees. Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is ‘50-50’ for Game 5 By JP Hoornstra Yasmani Grandal has caught all but six of Zack Greinke’s 33 starts this season, including Game 2 of the National League Division Series last weekend. Now, Grandal is “50-50” to play Game 5 on Thursday because of a left shoulder injury he’s battled on and off for months. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said both Grandal and A.J. Ellis will be prepared to catch the game that could decide the Dodgers’ season. Mattingly said he hopes not to make a game-time decision, but conceded the situation is “a little bit sticky.” He couldn’t rule out replacing Grandal on the active roster for the game. “We haven’t really talked about that,” Mattingly said. “I don’t think it would be, but I guess it’s a possibility if we get there tomorrow and he absolutely can’t lift his arm.” Any player who is removed from the active roster for Game 5 is ineligible to play in the next round. The injury is to Grandal’s non-throwing shoulder, so catching isn’t an issue, but he has struggled mightily at the plate. He’s got four strikeouts and one hit in eight at-bats in the NLDS after ending the regular season in an 0-for-22 slump. Grandal also endured an 0-for-35 slump in late August and early September.

Grandal suffered the injury when his left shoulder was struck by a foul ball during the Dodgers’ Pennsylvania road trip to begin the month of August. It never fully went away. “I knew at some point it would come back again,” Grandal said after Game 3. “Some days it’s going to hurt. Some days it’s not. You just take it one day at a time.” Ellis caught Game 4 on Tuesday and is 2 for 7 in the series. TURNER CLEARED Mattingly expects that third baseman Justin Turner, who has a bone bruise on his left knee, will be able to start Game 5. Turner was removed for a late-inning defensive replacement in Games 3 and 4 despite more than capable play at the plate and in the field. “We felt comfortable with the lead” when Turner was removed in the eighth inning of Game 4, Mattingly said. “J.T.’s probably not getting another at-bat, and that’s kind of the decision process there.” Turner is 7 for 15 with four doubles in the series. Each time he’s come out of a game, Jimmy Rollins played shortstop and Corey Seager moved from shortstop to third base. “J.T. never comes to me and says ‘I have to come out,’ it’s always a conversation of medical checking on him throughout the game,” Mattingly said. “We’re really confident with Jimmy and Seager, and Seager being able to go from short to third. So defensively, we don’t feel like we’re hurt. We’re really comfortable being able to do that.” MINOR MOVE The Dodgers made a minor roster move Wednesday, claiming right-handed pitcher Brooks Brown off waivers from the Colorado Rockies and designating pitcher Jim Johnson for assignment. Brown, 30, has gone 1-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 64 career relief appearances with the Rockies in 2014-15. The University of Georgia product was limited to just 36 games this season to right shoulder inflammation after posting a 2.77 ERA with a .208 opponents’ batting average and a 0.96 WHIP in 28 games in his rookie season of 2014. Brown isn’t eligible to pitch for the Dodgers in the postseason. Johnson was essentially sent home after going 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA after arriving in a midseason trade with the Atlanta Braves. START TIMES ANNOUNCED Start times for Games 1 and 2 of the National League Championship Series were announced; both games will begin at 5:07 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday and Sunday. If the Dodgers advance to face the Chicago Cubs, they would begin the series at home.

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Dodgers vs. Mets NLDS Game 5: Zack Greinke, Jacob deGrom & making adjustments By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Runs should be tough to come by for the Dodgers and Mets in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, with a pair of pitchers coming off wins in their previous starts in the series. Orel Hershiser will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday night's game, then a few minutes later the author of the longest scoreless streak in MLB history will be followed by the pitcher with the longest streak since Hershiser's 1988 record, in Zack Greinke. Greinke allowed a pair of solo home runs in his Game 2 victory, but otherwise struck out eight with no walks in seven strong innings. He has lasted seven innings in all three starts against the Mets this season, allowing four total runs. On July 4 at Dodger Stadium, Greinke pitched seven scoreless innings in a win, the fourth of six straight scoreless starts. Greinke ran his scoreless streak to 45⅔ innings, the longest streak since Hershiser lasted 59 innings in 1988. Greinke's streak was snapped on July 26 at Citi Field, when he allowed two runs in seven frames in a no-decision. On the other side on that Sunday in New York was Jacob deGrom, who pitched 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, allowing two hits and two walks. The Mets' right-hander was even better on Friday in Game 1, striking out 13 in seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walk. After Game 1, manager Don Mattingly thought the Dodgers chased too many high fastballs from deGrom, but otherwise liked the quality of at-bats. "If he's on and he's throwing the ball where he wants and making pitches, it's going to be a difficult day," Mattingly said Wednesday. "I think personally the more I see a hitter, the more advantage I have. Now stuff is still stuff, you have to be able to be able to hit it, a 99-mile an hour fastball. So I think I always felt like as a hitter I have a better feel for him. I've seen it. I've rated the speed. I kind of got a feel for what this guy likes to do." During Game 1, deGrom averaged 96.69 mph on his four-seam fastball, per Brooks Baseball, thrown in 49 of his 121 pitches, the latter one shy of his career high. Greinke will likely make adjustments of his own. He threw just 32.7-percent fastballs in Game 2 against the Mets, compared to 45.5 percent in his 32 regular season starts. "There's a lot of good fastball hitting teams. I feel like, in general, lefties hit fastballs from right-handed pitchers better than right-handers hit fastballs from right-handed pitchers," Greinke explained. "So if you look at how I pitched them last time, I threw more fastballs to their righties and less fastballs to their lefties. And they had more lefties on those teams. So it ends up being more off-speed to that team because of the amount of lefties they have.

"But, you got to probably make somewhat of an adjustment because you can't just keep doing the same thing to a team, or else they'll make the adjustment and get a couple runs and it will be too late. So I have to find a way to mix more fastballs in against them this next time probably." Greinke with a win on Thursday night would be the first Dodgers pitcher with two wins in the same postseason since Hiroki Kuroda in 2008. The last one with two wins in the same series was Hershiser, in the 1988 World Series. Game 5 info Time: 5:07 p.m. PT TV: TBS Dodgers claim Brooks Brown off waivers from Rockies, DFA Jim Johnson By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- There is never not a time for roster moves in Major League Baseball. The Dodgers on Wednesday claimed pitcher Brooks Brown off waivers from the Rockies, and to make room on the 40-man roster designated pitcher Jim Johnson for assignment. Brown, 30, was 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in 36 games with the Rockies in 2015, with 20 strikeouts and 16 walks in 33 innings, He pitched parts of two seasons with the Rockies in 2014 and 2015. The right-hander was drafted in the supplemental first round in 2006 by the Diamondbacks, and has spent the last 10 years in the Arizona, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Colorado systems. Brown in the majors averaged 93.93 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2015 after 94.64 mph in 2014, per Brooks Baseball, a pitch he threw 54 percent of the time. He throws his changeup 28 percent of the time and his slider 18 percent of the time, and has held right-handed hitters to .231/.294/.331 in his two years in the majors, to go along with a 53.8-percent ground ball rate. He missed nearly three months on two separate disabled list stints with right shoulder inflammation in 2015. The Rockies optioned Brown to the minors in both 2014 and 2015, but in neither season did he accrue a total of 20 days on optional assignment so neither one counts as using an option year; in other words, he should have three option seasons remaining. Brown has one year, 86 days of MLB service time to his credit, and made slightly over the minimum salary in 2015, at $509,500 with the Rockies. As for Johnson, he was already sent home for the postseason, not under consideration at all for a spot on the Dodgers' playoff rosters. This removes him from the 40-man roster, which doesn't mean much now since Johnson will be a free agent after the World Series anyway. Johnson, acquired on July 30 from the Braves, put up a 10.13 ERA in 23 games with the Dodgers, allowing three home runs, 22 runs and 32 hits in 18⅔ innings.

Yasmani Grandal '50/50' for Game 5 with shoulder injury By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is still battling left shoulder soreness which may put into question his availability for Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Mets on Thursday night. Grandal felt something during a swing in Game 3 on Monday in New York, and didn't play in Game 4, though that was planned. "Yas is maybe a little bit more on the 50-50 line, depending on once he tests the swing and what he's going to be able to do. I don't think catching's going to be any kind of an issue," manager Don Mattingly said via conference call on Wednesday. "It's just a matter of, is he going to be able to swing the bat pain free and just allow him to do what he's capable of doing." Grandal started Games 1 and 3 of the series and is 1-for-8 with a two-run single. He finished the regular season in a 4-for-84 slump (with 19 walks) after injuring his shoulder in early August. Grandal also started behind the plate in 27 of Zack Greinke's 33 starts, including in Game 1. A.J. Ellis has started the other two games of this series. "A.J.'s probably the best pitch caller and working with a pitcher on what's working and stuff similar to that in the game," Greinke said. "And Yas works really well with me, and his physical skills and baseball skills are as good as anyone in the game, with framing and blocking and throwing. So they both have some strengths." Mattingly said Grandal's condition would have to worsen for the Dodgers to consider replacing him on the roster with Austin Barnes, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. "We haven't really talked about that. I don't think it would be, but I guess it's a possibility if we get there tomorrow and [Grandal] absolutely can't lift his arm. "I know Stan Conte was there today who has been talking with Yasmani. He feels good today. His range of motion is better. I think he expects that there's a pretty good chance of him being able to play tomorrow, so that kind of tells me that I don't think that we'll be doing that, but obviously that could change. If he gets there and takes a few swings and can't do anything at all." Clayton Kershaw continues to climb Dodgers strikeout ladder By Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw in addition to keeping the Dodgers' 2015 season alive with his masterful performance in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Mets also reached another milestone of sorts, continuing to climb the ladder on the Dodgers' strikeout charts.

With eight strikeouts in his seven innings on Tuesday, Kershaw now has 19 in the NLDS, and 320 on the year, counting the regular season. Kershaw struck out 33.8 percent of his batters faced in the regular season this year, and has struck out 35.8 percent in the playoffs. That moves Kershaw into third most in one year by a Dodgers pitcher, with regular season and postseason combined. Sandy Koufax has the top three regular season strikeout years in Dodgers in Dodgers history, with Kershaw's 301 strikeouts in 2015 coming in fourth. But with 317 strikeouts in 1966 followed by two in his only (and final) World Series start, Koufax amassed 319 strikeouts in his final season. MOST STRIKEOUTS IN A YEAR, DODGERS Pitcher Year Season Postseason Total Sandy Koufax 1965 382 29 411 Sandy Koufax 1963 306 23 329 Clayton Kershaw2015 301 19 320 Sandy Koufax 1966 317 2 319 Should the Dodgers advance, he has a chance to surpass Koufax's 1963 season, which included 329 total strikeouts counting the World Series. Koufax's 1965 campaign remains the gold standard in Dodgers history, with a then-record 382 strikeouts in the regular season and 29 more in the World Series, for an astonishing total of 411. Though it should be noted that Randy Johnson surpassed that mark with 372 regular season strikeouts and 47 postseason whiffs in 2001 for a whopping 419 in total. This happened during Game 1 of the NLDS, but Kershaw also has the most strikeouts in Dodgers postseason history with 77 in 64⅓ innings. Koufax, who didn't have any rounds before the World Series, is second with 61 strikeouts in his 57 playoff innings. LA Dodgers history in winner-take-all postseason games By Eric Stephen For the Dodgers to ultimately accomplish their goal, winning a World Series for the first time in 27 years, they will first have to get through something they also haven't experienced in 27 years, a winner-take-all game. The National League Division Series is down to a best-of-one Game 5 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Here is a look at the winner-take-all games in Los Angeles Dodgers postseason history, with the last in 1988. 1988 NLCS, Game 7 Dodgers 6, Mets 0

The Dodgers, like this year, were facing a Mets team that won the regular season series against them, with New York sending a 27-year-old member of a young and deep great starting pitching staff to the mound at Dodger Stadium, while Los Angeles was using its Cy Young candidate who that season had the longest scoreless-inning streak in baseball in at least two decades. In 1988, the Dodgers chased current TBS broadcaster Ron Darling with a five-run second inning helped by errors from third baseman Gregg Jefferies and second baseman Wally Backman. The early 6-0 lead was more than enough for Orel Hershiser, who pitched a five-hit shutout and struck out Howard Johnson looking to end the game. Hershiser was named series MVP with a win, a save and a 1.09 ERA in 24⅔ innings. 1981 NLCS, Game 5 Dodgers 2, Expos 1 Two days after forcing a decisive Game 5 with a win in Game 4 — until Tuesday, this was the last time the Dodgers won an elimination game on the road — the Dodgers fell behind early in Montreal when Tim Raines and Andre Dawson doubled in the first inning, giving the Expos a 1-0 lead. Fernando Valenzuela recovered to pitch into the ninth, and didn't allow another run. Valenzuela drove in the tying run with a ground out in the fifth inning, but this game is remembered as Blue Monday in Montreal because of the ninth inning, when Rick Monday hit a home run to center field off Steve Rogers to send the Dodgers to the World Series. 1981 NLDS, Game 5 Dodgers 4, Astros 0 The first-ever division series was a result of the players' strike that split the regular season in two halves. The Dodgers fell behind 2-0 with a pair of road losses to the Astros, then won all three games at Dodger Stadium to capture the series. Jerry Reuss pitched a five-hit shutout to close out the series, and the Dodgers broke open a close game with a walk, three hits and an error for three runs in the sixth inning. The Dodgers beat Nolan Ryan, who beat them with a complete game in Game 1 and also pitched a no-hitter against them in Houston just 15 days earlier. 1965 World Series, Game 7 Dodgers 2, Twins 0 Just three days after shutting out the Twins in Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, Sandy Koufax pitched arguably the greatest game in Dodgers history, throwing a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts on just two days rest to win their second World Series championship in three years. Lou Johnson homered in the fourth inning to give the Dodgers the lead they would never relinquish, securing his place in franchise lore.

In case you were wondering, in Brooklyn all of the Dodgers' winner-take-all games came against the Yankees in the World Series, losing Game 7 in 1947, 1952 and 1956, and winning in 1955.

ESPN LA Mets-Dodgers preview: It's gonna be a classic By David Schoenfield Did you make it through Wednesday? If so, then we have another Game 5 for you Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. The New York Mets are looking to return to their first NLCS since 2006 while the Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping this will be another step to their first World Series since 1988. Some thoughts on the game ... 1. With Jacob deGrom and Zack Greinke starting, you'd certainly expect a low-scoring game. Since joining the Dodgers in 2013, Greinke is 30-5 with a 1.99 ERA at home, including the postseason. This season, he's 11-1 with a 1.52 ERA at home and hasn't allowed more than two runs at Dodger Stadium since April. DeGrom was brilliant in Game 1, striking out 13 in seven scoreless innings. While he threw a season-high 121 pitches, he'll be pitching with an extra day of rest, so that shouldn't be a major concern. He did have a notable home/road split in the regular season, however, with a 1.99 ERA at Citi Field and 3.09 on the road. That was the result of one factor: He allowed two home runs in 95 innings at home but 14 in 96 innings on the road. 2. Keep in mind that there is a natural tendency for umpires to favor the home team. A study of pitch data by University of Chicago economist Tobias Moskowitz showed that home-field advantage is largely the result of borderline strike calls and that the larger -- and presumably louder -- the crowd, the more likely that umpire bias will show. "In baseball it turns out that the most significant difference between home and away teams is that the home teams strike out less and walk more -- a lot more -- per plate appearance than road teams," Moskowitz wrote in "Scorecasting" with L. Jon Wertheim. In other words: Not that the on-screen strike zone graphic is perfect, but watch how those borderline strike calls are getting called. While both home teams won their Game 5s on Wednesday, home-field advantage hasn't been a huge factor overall this postseason, with home teams going 9-11 so far. 3. ESPN Insider Eno Sarris has a good look at deGrom's pitch repertoire. Not only does he have plus velocity -- he ranked in the top 10 among starting pitchers in fastball velocity -- but his changeup, curveball and slider are all plus offering as well. He'll mix his usage of those pitches pretty widely from game-to-game, although he threw his fastball more often in Game 1 than he had in any of his previous eight starts. If he's blowing that pitch past Dodger hitters like he did in Game 1, expect him to throw it 60-plus percent of the time once again. 4. Greinke also has a wide range of pitches: Four-seamer fastball, two-seamer with sink, plus a slider, curve and changeup. He threw his fastballs just 37 percent of the time in his Game 2 start, his lowest percentage of the season, while throwing his slider 30 percent of the time, his third-highest rate of the

season. As with deGrom, however, you can't really isolate a predictable pattern. There's a reason he posted the lowest season ERA since Greg Maddux 20 years ago. 5. Both pitchers are pretty good hitters for pitchers, meaning both managers may be more willing to let them hit to get an extra inning out of them, depending on the specific circumstance -- especially since both skippers may also be a little hesitant to go to their middle delivers. Greinke hit .224 with two home runs and deGrom hit .186. 6. If either pitcher unexpectedly falters early, the long relief edge goes to the Mets. Noah Syndergaard would be available on regular rest and Terry Collins indicated that Matt Harvey would also be available in relief. I can't imagine Harvey being used except in extra innings, but it's certainly possible and likely that the Mets would like to use just three pitchers in this game: deGrom, Syndergaard to bridge the gap if needed and then closer Jeurys Familia. The Dodgers will need their bullpen at some point as Greinke has just one complete game all season. If that means more than closer Kenley Jansen or setup guy Chris Hatcher, who does Don Mattingly go to? He went to Pedro Baez in Game 1 with the bases loaded but that didn't work. Yimi Garcia struck out the side in his one inning in the series. Like the Mets, I'm guessing the Dodgers hope on three pitchers max: Greinke, Hatcher, Jansen, with maybe J.P. Howell against a left-hander. 7. A key guy: Former Met Justin Turner. Incredibly, the former backup infielder who the Mets non-tendered after 2013, is now batting cleanup for the team with the highest payroll in the majors. He's hitting .467 in the series. 8. Curtis Granderson has been huge for the Mets, hitting .429 with three walks and just one striking. He seems locked in, providing great at-bats, fouling off pitches, working the count, etc. 9. The two runs off Greinke in Game 2 both came on home runs in the second inning -- Yoenis Cespedes clubbed a 2-2 fastball and Michael Conforto jumped on a 2-1 fastball. That could be why Greinke went to more offspeed stuff the rest of the way. Playing Conforto means the Mets do take a slight defensive hit in the outfield, with Cespedes moving over to center for Juan Lagares and Conforto replacing Cespedes in left. Considering the Mets also lose a little range with Wilmer Flores instead of Ruben Tejada, defense could be a decisive factor. 10. As I write this, the lineups haven't been announced and who knows what the Dodgers will go with. Mattingly said Wednesday that catcher Yasmani Grandal (battling a sore shoulder) has a 50 percent chance of playing. He sat out Game 4 but he's caught 26 of Greinke's 32 starts, so you know the Dodgers want him in there. The shoulder affects him at the plate, not catching. Will Joc Pederson or Kiki Hernandez be in center field? Pederson started the first game against deGrom but Hernandez has started the past three and gone 4-for-10. I suspect he'll be in there. And Corey Seager probably gets the nod over Jimmy Rollins at shortstop, although he's fanned five times in 12 at-bats. Anyway, it should be a fun, tense game. Let's hope there are no umpiring controversies, no beach balls thrown on the field in the middle of a play, and no seventh innings like Wednesday in Toronto. I'm not sure we can take another one. Prediction: Extra innings! Mr. Met David Wright hits a home run in the 11th and Harvey comes on and gets the save as the Mets win 2-1.

Mets rookie Michael Conforto to start in Game 5 of NLDS By Adam Rubin LOS ANGELES -- Rookie Michael Conforto will get the start in left field in Thursday's winner-take-all National League Division Series finale between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Conforto is only starting against right-handed pitching. In this series, that means only starting against Zack Greinke in Games 2 and 5. Michael Cuddyer started the division series opener in left field against Clayton Kershaw. In Games 3 and 4 against Brett Anderson and then Kershaw, Juan Lagares started in center field, with Yoenis Cespedes shifting to left field. Conforto is 1-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in five plate appearances in the NLDS. Other than Conforto in left field and Wilmer Flores starting over injured Ruben Tejada, manager Terry Collins will stick with his familiar starters: Travis d'Arnaud, Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Cespedes and Curtis Granderson. Duda and Wright are a combined 3-for-27 with 14 strikeouts in the series. “If everybody was hitting, we wouldn't still be playing Game 5,” Collins said late Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. Collins noted that Wright did have a clutch two-RBI single against Pedro Baez in the seventh inning of Game 1, plus has walked five times in the series. Dodgers claim pitcher Brooks Brown from Rockies By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have claimed pitcher Brooks Brown from the Colorado Rockies, joining Zack Greinke as the second right-hander on their playoff roster. Brown was 1-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 64 career relief appearances for the Rockies over 2014 and this year. The 30-year-old pitcher was limited to 36 games this season because of right shoulder inflammation. As a rookie, he had a 2.77 ERA in 28 games last year. The Dodgers on Wednesday designated right-hander Jim Johnson for assignment. He was 0-3 with one save and a 10.13 ERA in 23 games after being acquired from Atlanta in a July 30 trade. Johnson had been left off the playoff roster. Yasmani Grandal is questionable for Thursday's game

By Mark Saxon LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said on Thursday that he is confident third baseman Justin Turner will be able to play Thursday night in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, but he is less sure about catcher Yasmani Grandal. Turner has been dealing with knee inflammation and Grandal aggravated a bruised left shoulder in Monday’s game in New York. Mattingly said the Dodgers would consider replacing Grandal on the roster, likely with rookie Austin Barnes, if his shoulder doesn’t respond to treatment before the game. Grandal will test the shoulder by taking some swings Thursday afternoon. “I think he expects there to be a pretty good chance he’ll be able to play tomorrow, but he could take a few swings and can’t do anything at all,” Mattingly said. Losing Grandal could be more of a defensive blow than an offensive one, since he has tended to work well with pitcher Zack Greinke. It’s no coincidence that Mattingly chose Grandal to catch Greinke in Game 2, when Greinke allowed five hits over seven innings, two of which were solo home runs. Both Grandal and A.J. Ellis rate highly in defensive metrics this season, but for different reasons. “They both have different strengths,” Greinke said. “I think I’ve pitched probably equally to either one. A.J.’s probably the best pitch-caller there is and works with pitchers really well on what’s working. Yas works really well with me and in his physical skills and baseball skills are as good as anyone. He’s a good framer and good at blocking.”

DODGER INSIDER Greinke won last Dodger Stadium elimination game By Jon Weisman It has been just under two years since fans came to Dodger Stadium knowing that their team had to win or the season would end. The starting pitcher that day, as it will be today (only with more hair), was Zack Greinke. With the Dodgers having lost three of their first four games to the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, Greinke took the mound on October 16, 2013 and pitched seven innings of two-run ball in a 6-4 Dodger victory. In fact, the pitcher who threw out the ceremonial first pitch that day will do so again tonight: 1988 playoff hero Orel Hershiser. Greinke himself drove in the Dodgers’ second run with an RBI single in the second inning, but gave the lead back in a two-run third. However, a home run by Adrian Gonzalez in the bottom of the third put the

Dodgers ahead to stay, with solo shots by Carl Crawford, A.J. Ellis and Gonzalez (again) providing some welcome insurance runs. Fans got a scare in the ninth when the tying runs reached base against Kenley Jansen, but he whiffed Adron Chambers to extend the Dodgers’ season, if only for one more game. Should Greinke and the Dodgers win today, they know they’ll have at least four more. Hatcher emerges as primary set-up man to Jansen By Jon Weisman No longer is there any doubt about who is the Dodgers’ primary eighth-inning reliever in the bullpen. Game 4 of the National League Division Series showed that it is definitively Chris Hatcher. As Clayton Kershaw began the seventh inning Tuesday, having already thrown 86 pitches with a history of seeming to tire on three days’ rest, the Dodgers had two relievers warming up: Hatcher and lefty Luis Avilan. Kershaw, as we know, gave up a spider bite of a single to Yoenis Cespedes, but recovered to finish off the next three batters and his work for the night. Had Travis d’Arnaud reached base in the seventh inning after Cespedes to put the tying runs on with nobody out against Kershaw, Mattingly indicated he would have gone with Avilan against Lucas Duda. “If (Kershaw) just seems at that point to have run out of gas, at that point I’m probably going Avilan, because I’m going to try to keep their lefties on the bench,” Mattingly said. “They’ve got (Michael) Conforto, (Kelly) Johnson sitting there. I’d rather face their righties. So I would try to keep their lefties on the bench at least to David Wright, and then it would be back to Hatch. “So that was (for) the seventh. Once you got to the eighth, that changed.” When the eighth inning began, Hatcher was on the mound, with closer Kenley Jansen ultimately starting to throw in the bullpen, but Avilan was sitting down — even as Mattingly could foresee two Conforto and Johnson leading off the inning. The third and fifth hitters due up in the eighth, Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy, also swing from the left side. Hatcher retired Conforto and Johnson, then walked Granderson on five pitches. With David Wright coming on as the tying run, Jansen got the signal to enter. Circumstances can always dictate a change of plans, but as far as Mattingly is concerned, when the Dodgers are down to the final two innings, they are down to Hatcher and Jansen. “Luis is up in the seventh, and once we get through that inning, we feel like that’s Hatch’s inning,” Mattingly said. “His numbers against lefties have been really good. So he’s gotten to the point where if we’re coming into that inning, it’s pretty much his inning. In that situation (Tuesday) we knew it was partially his inning, and from there we were going to go directly to Kenley. So at that point … we weren’t worried about trying to match up lefty-righty.”

Hatcher earned this spot after a difficult first four months that left him with a 6.38 ERA through mid-June, followed by nearly nine weeks on the disabled list with a left oblique strain. But after being re-activated on August, Hatcher allowed only three runs on 20 baserunners in 20 2/3 innings, while striking out 31. Though he was showing signs of progress through the final two weeks of August, his first big moment of redemption came in the three shutout innings he threw the Dodgers’ 14-inning victory August 31 over the Giants. Moreover, his numbers against left-handed hitters have been strong all year long, and getting stronger. In the 2015 regular season, lefties went 9 for 50 (.180) against Hatcher. He walked 10, but until Granderson earned his free pass Tuesday, none since Erick Aybar on September 7. He hasn’t allowed an extra-base hit to a left-handed batter since San Diego’s Brett Wallace homered on September 4. “Last year, we had a (few) more issues in the eighth inning,” Zack Greinke said Wednesday. “This year, I feel like Hatcher’s been pitching pretty amazing as of late. So I feel pretty confident with those last two innings with those guys.” Zack Greinke: Complex thoughts, simple approach By Jon Weisman No, you don’t exactly expect Zack Greinke to go into hysterics over pitching in the deciding game of a playoff series. Confirmed. “I just try to keep it as simple as possible,” Greinke said this afternoon, about 25 1/2 hours before the start of National League Division Series Game 5. “I mean, sometimes it’s not possible, but that’s what you try — that’s what the goal is.” During his first postseason, in 2011 with Milwaukee, Greinke had a 6.48 ERA in three starts covering 16 2/3 innings. But as a Dodger, Greinke has a 2.06 ERA in five playoff starts, covering 35 innings, with 32 strikeouts. He has never pitched less than six innings nor allowed more than two runs, including seven innings of two-run ball against the Mets Saturday in Game 2. Of course, any run that Greinke allows Thursday could be painful, especially if the Dodgers don’t have a lead first. Greinke discussed facing the Mets for a second time in five days, and the fact that he has thrown fewer fastballs to them than he has to other teams. “I feel like, in general, lefties hit fastballs from right-handed pitchers better than right-handers hit fastballs from right-handed pitchers,” Greinke said. “So if you look at how I pitched (the Mets) last time, I threw more fastballs to their righties and less fastballs to their lefties. And they had more lefties on (their team). So it ends up being more off-speed to that team because of the amount of lefties they have. “But, you’ve got to probably make somewhat of an adjustment, because you can’t just keep doing the same thing to a team, or else they’ll make the adjustment and get a couple runs and it will be too late. So I have to find a way to mix more fastballs in against them this next time probably.”

Today, Greinke was asked to reflect on his experience pitching for the Dodgers. It’s no secret that Greinke can opt out of his Dodger contract at the end of the season to become a free agent, so with every playoff start he is asked about it possibly being his last in Los Angeles (though I prefer to think, here in mid-October 2015, that we’re still just getting started). “I haven’t thought about it too much, but everything’s been great so far,” he said. “I really can’t think of anything not positive to say about the whole experience. It’s all been good.” Note: For a deep dive into Greinke, read Steve Wulf’s story at ESPN.com. Yasmani Grandal ’50-50′ to start NLDS Game 5 By Jon Weisman Yasmani Grandal catches most Zack Greinke starts, as well as most games against right-handed pitching, but his ailing shoulder might keep him doing so Thursday in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Don Mattingly said that Grandal is able to play defensively, but it’s a question whether he can bat effectively, saying that Grandal is “a bit more on the 50-50 line” about whether he could start. “Talking with Stan Conte today, who’s been talking with Yasmani, he feels good today,” Mattingly said. “His range of motion is better. I think he expects there’s a pretty good chance of him being able to play tomorrow … but obviously that could change if we get there, he takes a few swings and can’t do anything at all.” Grandal has a two-run Game 3 single among his eight NLDS at-bats. A.J. Ellis, who has caught both Clayton Kershaw starts in the NLDS, would be ready to go for Game 5 after going 2 for 7 in the NLDS. “Both guys are gonna have to be prepared,” Mattingly said. Greinke, the Game 5 starter, said today that pitches “probably equally to either one.” “They both have different strengths,” Greinke said. “A.J.’s probably the best pitch-caller and working with the pitcher on what’s working and stuff similar to that, and Yas – he really works well with me, and his physical skills and baseball skills are as good as anyone in the game with framing and blocking and throwing.” Despite knee issues, Turner expected to start Thursday By Jon Weisman In Game 4 of the 1988 National League Championship Series at New York, the final Dodger run was driven home by Kirk Gibson.

In Game 4 of the 2015 National League Division Series at New York, the final Dodger run was driven home by Justin Turner. Similarities between Gibson and Turner go beyond that piece of trivia, as well as their lack of a clean shave (in Turner’s case, an extreme lack). Gibson had an intensity that isn’t imitated outwardly by the easy-going Turner, but the latter’s inner drive to be a critical player on the Dodgers’ championship drive is unmistakable. And like Gibson famously did in 1988, Turner is increasingly seeming to carry the Dodgers without the cooperation of both his legs. As noted after Tuesday’s Game 4 victory, Turner’s got a swollen knee — bad enough that he grimaced noticeably while making the game’s key defensive play of fielding a hard Wilmer Flores grounder with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Today, Don Mattingly said that he expects Turner to be able to start in Thursday’s deciding NLDS Game 5, though that doesn’t mean he will necessarily finish. With Corey Seager’s comfort at both to play both shortstop and third, Mattingly said that (as happened in Game 4) the Dodgers could substitute Jimmy Rollins for Turner with a lead. “I don’t think there’s been a huge change from yesterday what he’s able to do,” Mattingly said. “JT never comes to me and says I have to come out,” Mattingly added. “It’s always a conversation that medical’s checking on him throughout the game.” Dodgers claim Brooks Brown, designate Jim Johnson for assignment By Jon Weisman Relief pitcher Jim Johnson, whom the Dodgers acquired with Alex Wood and Jose Peraza from Atlanta in July, has been designated for assignment. Taking his place on the 40-man roster — not eligible for the current playoffs — will be right-handed pitcher Brooks Brown. A first-round (34th overall) pick by Arizona in the 2006 draft, the 30-year-old Brown had a 3.97 ERA with 41 strikeouts against 75 baserunners in 59 Major League innings for Colorado in 2014-15. He had a 2.77 ERA in 2014, then a 4.91 ERA in this year while dealing with right shoulder inflammation. Johnson did not make the Dodgers’ postseason roster after allowing 42 baserunners in 18 2/3 innings with 17 strikeouts for Los Angeles. All hands on deck: Bullpen report for NLDS Game 5 By Jon Weisman

With Jacob deGrom and Zack Greinke facing off Thursday in the deciding Game 5 of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Mets, you don’t expect to need much in the way of relief. But should the need arise, nearly every pitcher on either roster will be ready to go. New York Mets Mets bullpen NLDS Noah Syndergaard will be on four days’ rest, and though he is the presumptive NLCS Game 1 starter if the Mets advance, New York would have few qualms about using him as a bridge between deGrom and closer Jeurys Familia. Matt Harvey could then start the NLCS opener. Familia has pitched in three of the four NLDS games, but his pitch counts aren’t enough to matter, especially with today’s off day. Erstwhile starting pitcher Bartolo Colon has been the Mets’ bullpen workhorse. No doubt he’s available, though Syndergaard could take his role. Only Harvey and Steven Matz should be considered unavailable for Game 5. No other Mets pitcher has a workload issue. Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers bullpen NLDS Kenley Jansen gets a day to recover from his 24-pitch save Tuesday. He has thrown 41 pitches total since October 3 and 59 pitches this entire month, so he should be ready to roll Thursday. Chris Hatcher is the only Dodger to pitch in three games this series, but his pitch counts are modest. No other Dodger reliever has a workload concern. Clayton Kershaw for an inning? I’m not gonna answer that …

YAHOO SPORTS

Mets manager Terry Collins won't be weighed down by the gravity of Game 5 By Tim Brown LOS ANGELES – Terry Collins, the 66-year-old manager of the New York Mets and professional innings distributor, has been the life of this weeklong bender of a division series. Among other beauties, he has milk-nosed an early week query, that being if he had a preference for facing Clayton Kershaw or facing Alex Wood in Game 4. No manager answers that question. Eyes wide, he spat, "Yeah, I got a preference!" (He didn't get it.) He has professed his love for hitting coach Kevin Long, starting with the fact, "He's smaller than me."

He has told stories that ended in laughs, and raged against the harming of his shortstop, and referred to the Dodgers' co-aces as "monsters" and "animals," and generally been as charming as his counterpart, Don Mattingly, has been withdrawn. He has recounted a chance meeting with Kershaw on Monday, when the Dodgers' Game 4 starter still was officially TBA. He'd asked Kershaw if he would get the ball. Kershaw had told him he didn't know. Not an hour later the Dodgers announced what everyone suspected, that Kershaw would pitch on short rest, and Kershaw had gone and tugged on Collins' sleeve. "Hey," he'd said to his former farm director, "I didn't lie to you in the outfield. I just was told I was going to pitch tomorrow." Collins chuckled at such a sweet gesture. "Like I don't think he is pitching," he said, smiling. "I could have told him he was pitching. I could have beat Don to the punch." This is a guy who spent a good portion of his career having people suggest he lighten up, you know, maybe just a little. Which is what makes all of this, all of him, so delightful. The man still sweats and bleeds baseball, still thinks the highest compliment of all is to call a baseball player "a baseball player," still would donate his off arm to win Game 5 Thursday night here, and knows full well the seriousness that is the Mets on the verge of the National League championship series. But he was also the guy who'd had his shot, two shots actually, which makes these Mets and this season such a wonderful gift. Remember, he once was the manager who would run alongside the foundling Mets until they were worthy of someone better, and now they are better, and he's on the top freakin' step for it. What happens now is three hours of baseball to find out what happens next. His Jacob deGrom, at the moment Collins' undisputed ace, who struck out 13 Dodgers in seven innings and outpitched Kershaw in Game 1, against Mattingly's Zack Greinke, in perhaps Greinke's final innings as a Dodger. Winner hosts the Chicago Cubs on Saturday and starts over. Loser starts over in February. That's where it gets interesting, of course, particularly if it's the Dodgers who do the losing, and maybe that's what's eating Mattingly. He's running the $300 million roster that, sure, won 92 games and the NL West, but also doesn't exactly look like a $300 million roster. Some of that's going to the San Diego Padres, some to the Miami Marlins, some to Brian Wilson and Bronson Arroyo and Brandon McCarthy. Their starting left fielder in Game 4, Justin Ruggiano, was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners not two months ago. Their cleanup hitter, Justin Turner, was non-tendered by the Mets not two years ago. Their third starter, Brett Anderson, is pitching innings he's never seen in one season before. They have a rookie, Corey Seager, at shortstop and a second-year man, Kike Hernandez, in center field, unless the rookie, Joc Pederson, plays there. Their right-fielder in Game 4 was the guy who used to be Yasiel Puig. They've got one, maybe two – three at the outside – reliable arms in the bullpen. Their first-string catcher, Yasmani Grandal, is banged up and has five hits – five – since early August, in going on a 100 at-bats. These are the Dodgers who sledgehammered everyone with payroll and therefore can't lose, and what they drag into Game 5, along with the general sense Mattingly will have to answer for the result. You know, unless they win, and then the $300 million payroll will be the answer.

But, hey, everybody's got problems. And everybody's got a short time to solve them. So when he's asked the other day about the urgency he feels, about getting this done, about turning one magical (and occasionally annoying) summer into something a hell of a lot more, Collins cut right to it. "As for me," he said, "I'm old." And everyone laughed, including him. "Sense of urgency is right now," he said. "I either get this done right now or …" Well, he couldn't think of an alternative. "I don't have a lot of shots," he said. "So it's pretty big for me."

FOX SPORTS

Mets confident for 'fun' decisive Game 5 against Dodgers By FOX Sports After failing to capitalize upon an opportunity to close out the NLDS on their home field, the New York Mets will play a decisive Game 5 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Thursday, which is set for a premier pitching matchup between Jacob deGrom and Zack Greinke. Although the circumstances aren't ideal for the Mets, they aren't daunted to face a Cy Young candidate on the road for a winner-takes-all affair. "This is what it's all about," catcher Travis d'Arnaud said. "Game 5, and it's going to be a lot of fun ... and I'm really looking forward to it." "It's what you dream about as a kid," added veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson. Although the Mets are stacked up against Greinke, who is a strong candidate to win his second Cy Young Award for a season in which he posted a 19-3 record with a 1.66 ERA, they have a future Cy Young contender of their own in deGrom, who shut out the Dodgers in the Mets' Game 1 win in Los Angeles. "He's the guy we want on the mound," manager Terry Collins said of deGrom. "You kind of feel real confident that he's pitched well out there and that he's going to go out and do it again. Once again, this is a time when you need your guys to step up, and you certainly think he'll do that." After outdueling three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in Game 1, the Mets are optimistic the lanky 27-year-old righty can deliver an encore performance against Greinke in Game 5. "We feel confident. Jacob threw a great game out there last time," captain David Wright said. "We knew going into this series that offensively, it was going to be a challenge. And it's been just that. If you're

facing Kershaw and Greinke for four out of the five games, you know that runs are going to be at a premium and a minimum, and it's definitely been that with those two guys on the mound." What Clayton Kershaw thinks about Greinke-deGrom Game 5 match-up By FOX Sports Two of the best right-handers in baseball, Zack Greinke and Jacob deGrom, will square off in Los Angeles for a winner-takes-all NLDS Game 5 on Thursday. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who led Los Angeles to a 3-1 Game 4 victory after being outdueled by deGrom in Game 1, gave his thoughts on the meeting of the two elite righties. "You know what, it's probably dead even, to be honest," Kershaw said. In his first career postseason start, deGrom dominated the Dodgers, throwing seven scoreless innings while striking out a total of 13 batters and walking one. After deGrom won Game 1, Greinke won Game 2 with seven solid innings of his own, in which he gave up two runs and struck out eight. Greinke posted a 19-3 record with a 1.66 ERA and 200 strikeouts during the regular season; deGrom went 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA and 201 strikeouts in two fewer starts than Greinke. "As good as Zack is and has been the whole year, deGrom has been the same," Kershaw said. After his dominating Game 1 start in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have their fingers crossed that deGrom won't be as sharp as he was last Friday. "Hopefully, he makes some mistakes, to be honest with you," second baseman Howie Kendrick said. However, despite a daunting encore against deGrom, the Dodgers like their odds in Thursday's winner-take-all Game 5. "We're really confident. We're going home for Game 5 with Zack Greinke on the mound," utility man Kiké Hernandez said. "I think we're feeling good about ourselves. It's loser goes home. Their guy against our guy." Although the Dodgers were shut out by deGrom, they notched five hits off him. Kendrick knows it's imperative that Los Angeles capitalize upon having runners on base in order to keep their postseason aspirations alive with a win against the Mets on Thursday. "It comes down to, when you have runners on, can you capitalize with them on and it's a matter of if he makes any mistakes and gives you pitches to hit," he said. Dodgers' Van Slyke available for NLCS roster if LA advances

By FOX Sports If the Los Angeles Dodgers can pull off a Game 5 win over the Mets on Thursday, they will have a reinforcement waiting for them. Outfielder Scott Van Slyke said Wednesday that he will be available to play in the NLCS if they Dodgers advance in the postseason. Van Slyke, who couldn't swing a bat last week due a right wrist injury, says that his wrist has healed after nagging him at the end of the regular season. Although he would be available to join the Dodgers' 25-man roster for the NLCS, the 29-year-old outfielder might not be included on the roster by manager Don Mattingly, as Justin Ruggiano and Yasiel Puig are currently on the team's roster as outfield reserves. Van Slyke, who is known primarily for his power (17 percent of his major-league hits have been home runs), posted a .700 OPS this season after hitting the .910 mark in 2014, and only has three postseason at-bats to his name.

NBC SPORTS Matt Harvey told Terry Collins he “wants to be available too” in Game 5 of NLDS By Drew Silva Jacob deGrom is starting for the Mets in Game 5 of the NLDS on Thursday evening in Los Angeles and Noah Syndergaard will be available to piggyback deGrom if necessary. There might be another lethal right-hander stationed at the ready in the visitors bullpen at Dodger Stadium … Mets manager Terry Collins said at his press conference Wednesday in Los Angeles that Matt Harvey told him he “wants to be available too” in Thursday’s loser-goes-home tilt. That word comes from Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, who adds that this discussion took place on the team plane from New York to LA. Harvey was the subject of a very public — and sometimes very nasty — workload controversy over the final month of the regular season and he was to be limited to just one start in the Division Series. But the 26-year-old wants the ball with everything on the line. If he’s not used Thursday and the Mets still advance, Harvey will likely make two starts in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series against the Cubs. He allowed three runs — two earned — over five innings in his NLDS Game 3 win.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Matt Harvey Could Appear Against Dodgers in Game 5, Mets Manager Says By Tim Rohan LOS ANGELES — In his office hours before Game 4 of their National League division series, when the Mets were leading the Dodgers by a game, Manager Terry Collins emphatically declared that Matt Harvey was done pitching for the series. Harvey had labored through five innings in a Game 3 victory, and the Mets had decided that it would be harmful to pitch him again. But on Wednesday, as the Mets flew here, Harvey told Collins that he would be able to pitch in the winner-take-all Game 5 on Thursday against the Dodgers. At his news conference, then, Collins indicated that Harvey could go one or maybe two innings if needed. In reality, though, it seems unlikely that the Mets, who will start Jacob deGrom, will use Harvey in a relief role. Harvey has never pitched out of the bullpen, for one, and the Mets have been cautious with him this season in his first full year back after Tommy John surgery. Including the postseason, Harvey has thrown 194.1 innings this season — the most he has ever thrown. So Collins’s change of heart appeared to be more of a gesture to show that Harvey was on board with his teammates. “We’re going to be smart about it,” Collins said. “We’re not going to be foolish and go right to Matt Harvey, say if Jake’s in trouble in the second inning. So I think we’ve got to be wise enough to know that this will be the first time he’s ever done something like this, too.”