Breaking down the NLCS Game 5 pitching matchup

After a bruise 10:2 defeat The New York Mets are now on the verge of elimination against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jose QuintanaSimply put, he wasn't at his best, giving up five runs over 3 1/3 innings. Mookie Betts And Tommy Edman combined for seven RBIs, including a two-run home run by the former in the sixth inning, to extend Los Angeles' lead to five.

There was no sign of the Mets' offense for the second straight game as they failed to gain a win with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom half of the sixth. Mark Vientos answered Shohei Ohtanis He led off the home run in the first inning with a solo shot of his own, but the Mets then left 10 baserunners the rest of the way.

New York now has its back against the wall, trailing 3-1 in the NLCS and needing to win three straight games to advance to the World Series.

Here are the pitching matchups for Game 5…

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DAVID PETERSON

On Thursday night, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that David Peterson will be the starting signal for the biggest game of the season. The southpaw quickly moved into Mendoza's circle of trust in the bullpen this offseason, with key appearances against the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies. This will be his first start in October, but he had an incredible regular season as a member of the rotation, posting a 2.90 ERA and a 10-3 record over 21 outings and 121 innings.

Peterson has great extension with well above average fastball and off-speed run value and is able to use his sinker effectively with an 85% ground ball rate. With a usage rate of 31%, the pitch was a way for him to gain an edge and in some cases he also used it as a lay-off pitch. This allowed the 29-year-old to use his fastball and slider as swing-and-miss offerings with whiff rates of 28.7% and 33.9%, respectively.

Freddie Freeman is a lifetime .316 hitter against Peterson (6-19) with two home runs, five runs batted in and seven strikeouts. He is the only Dodger to have batted against the left-handed hitter more than 10 times in his career, but considering he is the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts With Freeman missing from Thursday night's game while battling an ankle injury, it will be interesting to see if they give the 15-year veteran the starting nod on Friday.

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JACK FLAHERTY

Jack Flaherty will make his second start in the series for the Dodgers. The Mets were unable to get to him in Game 1 as he struck out six batters in seven scoreless innings. In the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, the 29-year-old allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 frames. He has seven career postseason starts with a 3.38 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 37 1/3 innings.

Flaherty's ankle curve was the only pitch the Mets couldn't get to, and it was also his favorite pitch over the course of the season. With a put away percentage of 27% and a whiff percentage of 43.6%, the right-hander is able to use it to his advantage late in counts. At 44.3% usage, he relies primarily on his four-seater to set up his slider (29%) and ankle curve (21.8%).

Jesse Winker is a career .375 hitter against Flaherty (9-24) with three doubles, two home runs and three strikeouts. Besides Winker, this is the only Met on the roster who has had more than seven at-bats against him Starling Martewho has struggled with a lifetime .160 average (4-25), which includes one home run and eight strikeouts.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Mets are now on the brink of disaster for the hundredth time in the last three weeks. It's a matter of life and death heading into Game 5, and while they have a daunting task against Flaherty, they also have a chance to get a win in front of their home crowd and continue this magical season.

As for New York's strategy for this game, it will be to pressure Flaherty early and often, but the Mets need to cash in on runners in scoring position. Living and dying after the long ball hasn't worked for them in this series, so the Mets can score by riding the carousel and keeping the line moving.

It can't get any more nerve-wracking for this team, but the show must go on and they must prevail pitch by pitch to take this series into Game 6.