Dodgers-Mets NLCS Game 5 FAQ (5 ET/2 PT, FS1)

NEW YORK -- The Dodgers have things lined up just the way they want them: a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series and their ace, Jack Flaherty, set to pitch Game 5. The Mets, who have made a habit of coming back from dire situations all season, have not faced one this bleak.

But hope does exist heading into Game 5 on Friday at Citi Field. Teams trailing a best-of-seven series 3-1 after four games have come back to win it 15% of the time. That’s a lot more than zero. The Dodgers themselves did it just four years ago in the NLCS against the Braves, en route to a World Series title.

• FOLLOW LIVE: Dodgers vs. Mets NLCS Game 5

And while the Mets have never come back from a 3-1 series deficit, this year’s team has managed some comparably difficult escape acts just to be in the NLCS.

“We have history with it,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “So this isn’t new. We can do it. This team is very capable. It’s a very good team. It’s just going to take all of us pulling together and working on the same cylinder. … Momentum can shift very quickly in these series, and we know that.”

The Dodgers will have all the incentive in the world to quash momentum from the home team, especially considering they’ll have their ace on the mound. If the Mets manage to beat Flaherty, they’ll head back to Los Angeles needing only to beat the Dodgers in a likely bullpen game to force a winner-take-all Game 7. At that point, their chances would be a lot higher than 15%.

But if the Dodgers win behind Flaherty, they’ll head to the World Series for the fourth time in eight years -- an emotional proposition for all of them.

“I’ve tried to stay even-keeled and all those things,” Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts said. “At a time like this, that doesn't really work, so you've just got to jump on the roller coaster and enjoy the ride.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game at Citi Field is live now on FS1.

All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Dodgers: RHP Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17 ERA)
The Dodgers considered going with a bullpen game for Game 5, but with the team one win away from the World Series, they decided to lean on one of their starters to close out the series. Flaherty dominated the Mets in Game 1, tossing seven scoreless innings.

Mets: LHP David Peterson (10-3, 2.90 ERA)
Because Games 3 and 4 were both blowouts, the Mets managed to avoid using Peterson in relief. That made him available for the Game 5 start, prompting team officials to choose him over Kodai Senga. The Mets have plenty of reason to be confident in Peterson considering his breakout season, which ended with a 2.41 ERA over his final 11 regular-season starts. But Peterson has pitched exclusively in relief since the start of October, topping out at 50 pitches in NLDS Game 1. Moreover, the Dodgers roughed him up for three runs (two earned) in NLCS Game 1. His ability to give the Mets both length and quality will be in question heading into a must-win game.

What are the starting lineups?
Dodgers: With the Mets starting a left-hander, Los Angeles gave Gavin Lux another day to continue to heal from a nagging hip injury. Freddie Freeman, who missed Game 4 with his badly sprained right ankle, is back in the cleanup spot for Game 5.

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, RF
3. Teoscar Hernández, LF
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Tommy Edman, SS
6. Kiké Hernández, 2B
7. Max Muncy, 3B
8. Will Smith, C
9. Andy Pages, CF

Mets: Citing Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s reverse splits, manager Carlos Mendoza absorbed some criticism for starting right-handed hitters J.D. Martinez, Jose Iglesias and Starling Marte in Game 4 over left-handed alternatives Jesse Winker and Jeff McNeil. For Game 5, Winker is back at DH and McNeil is in the starting lineup for the first time in the postseason.

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Brandon Nimmo, LF
3. Mark Vientos, 3B
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Jesse Winker, DH
6. Starling Marte, RF
7. Tyrone Taylor, CF
8. Jeff McNeil, 2B
9. Francisco Alvarez, C

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Dodgers: With the Dodgers winning the last two games in decisive fashion, the team should be in good shape behind Flaherty. Outside of Evan Phillips, who threw 34 pitches in his outing on Thursday, the Dodgers should have all their high-leverage relievers available.

Mets: With Peterson starting, Senga will be available in relief, though the Mets will probably hesitate to go to him unless the game becomes lopsided in their favor. They have most of their high-leverage arms available, including Edwin Díaz and Ryne Stanek, who could reasonably combine to provide nine outs. Phil Maton is probably unavailable after throwing 29 pitches in Game 4, but the Mets should have plenty of pitching between Peterson, Reed Garrett, Stanek, Díaz and (if necessary) Senga.

Any injuries of note?
Dodgers: After missing Game 4, however, Freeman is back in the starting lineup in Game 5. Lux is also nursing a hip injury and was held out of against a left-handed starter.

Mets: Although McNeil hasn’t seen much live pitching since he fractured his right wrist on Sept. 6, he did pick up 10 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League and three more so far in the NLCS. Mendoza said McNeil’s contact approach lends itself well to a successful return despite his lack of recent reps. In any case, McNeil is fully healthy and was inserted in the eighth spot for Game 5.

Separately, Nimmo is playing through plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Although Nimmo aggravated the injury during the NLDS, it hasn’t cost him significant time and is unlikely to do so going forward. For Nimmo, this is a pain tolerance issue.

As for the seven players on the Mets’ injured list -- Paul Blackburn, Christian Scott, Dedniel Núñez, Sean Reid-Foley, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley and Ronny Mauricio -- none of them will return this year.

Who is hot and who is not?
Dodgers: Betts became just the third player in Dodgers history to record four hits and drive in four or more runs in a postseason game in Game 4, joining Chris Taylor (2021 NLCS Game 5) and Steve Garvey (1974 NLCS Game 4). Muncy has also been a key to the Dodgers’ success, setting a single-postseason record by reaching base safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances.

Mets: Vientos remains as hot as anyone in baseball, with seven multihit efforts and three home runs in 11 playoff games. With a first-inning homer on Thursday, Vientos matched a franchise record for most RBIs in a single postseason. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Alonso, who has cooled since his homer binge earlier this month. In the NLCS, Alonso is 2-for-15 with six strikeouts and no extra-base hits.

Anything else fans might want to know?
• This is the fourth postseason meeting between the Mets and Dodgers, dating to a 1988 NLCS win for Los Angeles in what’s still considered one of the greatest postseason series. The Mets earned some revenge in the 2006 NLDS, sweeping the Dodgers, and again in a highly entertaining 2015 NLDS win.

• While the Mets led Major League Baseball with a 67-40 record from May 30 through the end of the season, the Dodgers weren’t far behind at 62-42. Both ranked in MLB’s top five over that stretch.

• The Dodgers have outscored the Mets 30-9 through the first four games of this series. If they win Game 5, it would be just the third time in LCS history that a club outscored its opponent by at least 20 runs. The 1996 Braves outscored the Cardinals by 26 runs in the NLCS, and the 2017 Dodgers outscored the Cubs by 20.