Saturday, 17 October 2015

NLCS Preview: Why the Mets will beat the Cubs


               I know most people have already decided that the Chicago Cubs will win the World Series based on the fact that it happened in Back To The Future II when Marty McFly travelled to the year 2015.
                But I can guarantee you the New York Mets could care less what Marty discovered. And I am going to tell you why the Mets will defeat the Cubs in the National League Championship Series and not even allow the Cubs to get to the World Series.
                First of all the Mets have the pitching to stand up to any team in baseball. Jacob DeGrom and Matt Harvey lead the starting rotation. DeGrom was 14-8 during the regular season with a 2.54 ERA and 205 strike outs. He continued his success in the NLDS against the LA Dodgers, winning both of his starts and giving up only two runs in eleven innings pitched. Harvey was 13-8, 2.71 and 188 Ks in the regular season and won his only start in the NLDS. He will start Game 1 against the Cubs.
                The bullpen is led by closer Jeurys Famlia, who saved 43 games this season and had a 1.85 ERA while striking out 86 batters in 78 innings. The Mets should feel confident putting the ball in his hand with a lead in the later innings. The Cubs’ batters won’t have a chance to come back.
                As for the offense, well, let’s look at some numbers. Right fielder Curtis Granderson hit 26 home runs and had 70 RBI this season. First baseman Lucas Duda hit 27 and drove in 73. Other double digit home run hitters were Yoenis Cespedes (17), Wilmer Flores (16), Daniel Murphy (14), Travis D’Arnaud (12) and Michael Cuddyer (10).
                In the NLDS, it was Granderson leading the way with a .389 batting average and five RBIs. Murphy hit .333 with three homers and five RBIs. Cespedes hit a pair of home runs. All-in-all the Mets’ offense is more than capable of handling the Cubs’ pitching staff much in the same way that they handled the Dodgers’ hurlers.
                Now that we’ve looked at why the Mets will win, let’s have a look at why the Cubs will lose. Because they’re the Cubs. They haven’t won the World Series in over a hundred years and it’s been seventy since they were last involved in one. They’ve had chances over the years but have let their fans down time and time again.
                There was the 1984 NLCS, when they led the San Diego Padres two games to none but proceeded to lose the next three straight, the third one after an error by first baseman Leon Durham opened the door for the Padres to rally to win and go to the World Series.
                Then there was 2003, when the Cubs led the Florida Marlins three games to one and couldn’t win the clinching game in three attempts. Cubs’ fans tried to put the blame on Steve Bartman, a fan who interfered with a foul ball. But c’mon, people, Steve Bartman wasn’t on the mound to give up all those eight runs in the eighth inning in Game 6. Blame the Cubs’ pathetic bullpen performance.
                Now that I’ve detailed why the Mets will win this series, I just wanted to say that I would love to see the Cubs in the World Series. If the Toronto Blue Jays don’t win it all, the Cubs would be my second pick. But I tend to pick with my head rather than my heart. The Cubs won’t win!

Prediction: Mets in six


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