3 KEYS to the Mets
The New York Mets were 0-7 against the Chicago Cubs in the regular season.
Can they turn the tables in the National League Championship Series?
Balance it out
The Mets have standout starting pitching, but they need to score more runs to beat the Cubs.
In the NLDS, Yoenis Cespedes got off to a good start but was 1-for-8 with 4 strikeouts in the final two games.
Lucas Duda and David Wright were a combined 3-for-34 with no home runs and 1 RBI.
Closing bell
Jeurys Familia took over as the Mets' closer in April and saved 43 games, including a 16-for-16 run to end the regular season.
In the NLDS, Familia took his game to an even higher level. The right-hander retired all 16 Dodgers he faced and capped the stellar showing with a six-out save in Game 5.
Coming up short
Like the Cubs, the Mets are playing the NLCS without their starting shortstop.
The Dodgers' Chase Utley took out Ruben Tejada with a controversial slide in Game 2, and Wilmer Flores is back in the lineup.
Flores opened the season as New York's starting shortstop but lost his job to Tejada, who is now out with a broken leg. Flores has a better bat, but Tejada was a better defender.
- Scot Gregor