Mets vs. Dodgers: 5 things to watch and series predictions | May 23-25

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

5 things to watch

NLCS rematch

The last time these teams faced off was last year’s NLCS when the Dodgers ended the Mets’ miraculous postseason run -- jumping on both Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga in a Game 6 clinching victory. 

Los Angeles, of course, ultimately went on to defeat the Yankees in five games in the World Series to secure the eighth title in franchise history.  

Both teams made some big additions over the offseason, and they are currently considered among the favorites to represent the National League in the Fall Classic this year.

The Mets (30-20) have hit a bit of a rough patch after their red hot start to the season -- currently sitting in second place in the NL East, just 1.5 games behind the Phillies and 10 games above the .500 mark. 

The Dodgers (31-19) have been struggling of late as well, but they are coming off a series win over the Diamondbacks and are currently tied with Philadelphia for the most wins in the National League. 

Could this rematch be an early NLCS preview?

Brett Baty's confidence continues to grow

Baty just keeps building his case for everyday playing time. 

With Mark Vientos struggling defensively, the youngster drew the start at the hot corner in each of the three games in Boston and he impressed with the leather in the first two. 

Carlos Mendoza said pregame Wednesday that Baty’s defense was the main reason he decided to leave him in the lineup against a tough left-hander in Garrett Crochet for the series finale. 

Baty responded by cracking a two-out RBI single in the second inning to get the scoring started. He came through again later on, going the other way to put New York back in front with a two-run double off another tough lefty in Brennan Bernardino. 

The 25-year-old finished the day 2-for-4 while driving in three of New York’s five runs. 

After his strong showing against the lefties, Baty figures to have earned himself the opportunity to get back out there against Clayton Kershaw in the opener -- he should be in the lineup for all three games of this set. 

Signs of life at the plate

Baty wasn’t the only positive sign during Wednesday’s win in Boston. 

The rest of the bottom four did a good job setting the table as well -- Luis Torrens was on-base three times, Tyrone Taylor picked up a knock of his own, and Luisangel Acuña reached on a pair of infield hits. 

Francisco Lindor had two hits out of the leadoff spot as well -- opening the game with a double off Crochet and then cracking a solo shot over the Green Monster in the ninth for the Mets’ first homer since last Tuesday. 

As a team, though, they still finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position. 

They are now an abysmal eight-for-56 in such situations over their last eight games.

Juan Soto still looks a bit lost at the plate -- he was fooled badly on three strikeouts against Crochet, but drove one deep to center with the bases loaded in the seventh which would’ve been a grand slam if not for the wind. 

Soto now hasn't left the yard since May 9 and he's just 5-for-35 over that span. Pete Alonso’s production has slowed down mightily as well since the calendar flipped to May -- he's now gone 56 at-bats without a homer, which is the third-longest streak of his career.

Mark Vientos also still isn’t offering much of anything in the power department, and Brandon Nimmo continues to struggle mightily at the plate.  

For this offense to get back in a groove, they need the big guns at the top to get rolling again.

Dodgers' pitching has been hittable

The positive for the Mets is the Dodgers’ pitching staff has been very hittable thus far. 

LA came into the year with a loaded rotation from top-to-bottom after making some offseason additions, but they’ve battled numerous different injuries and have been forced to tap deep into their depth. 

Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Emmett Sheehan, River Ryan, and Gavin Stone are all currently sidelined and Shohei Ohtani is still yet to make his return to the mound.

Relievers Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates, and Brusdar Graterol are also on the IL.  

With their pieced together young staff, the Dodgers have allowed the ninth-most runs (222) and seventh-most homers (65) in baseball to this point in the season. 

The Mets will have to deal with the veteran Kershaw, who is 11-0 against them in his career, but he struggled in his season debut -- allowing five runs and walking three in just four innings against the Angels. 

Tony Gonsolin (4.05 ERA) and Landon Knack (6.17 ERA) are set to pitch the final two games.

Mets pitchers will have their hands full

As bad as the Dodgers' pitching has been thus far, their offense has had their backs.

They currently lead the league with a .284 average. They also rank second in home runs (81), hits (454), runs scored (284), and OPS (.814) and find themselves in the top-10 in several other key categories.

Their star-studded top of the order leads the way headlined by Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and All-Star catcher Will Smith -- three of which are hitting above the .300 mark.

Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have returned from stints on the IL and they’ve been great thus far as well -- producing a combined 18 homers and 64 RBI.

The speedy Hyeseong Kim has also provided a spark since being called up and Andy Pages has locked himself into an everyday role after producing nine long balls over the first 46 games of the season.  

The Mets’ pitching staff has continued to carry their weight amid the offenses struggles, but they'll really be put to the test this weekend -- and it'll be up to Griffin Canning, David Peterson, and Senga to keep this high-powered group in check. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Francisco Lindor.

He's been tremendous at home this season and showed some positive signs on Wednesday.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Kodai Senga.

Senga is rolling and will be determined to make up for his rough showing in the NLCS

Which Dodgers player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Freddie Freeman.

One of the biggest Met killers around, who leads the NL with a .368 average and 1.087 OPS.