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Game 5 of the National League Division Series between the 109-win Dodgers and 109-win Giants is kind of a big deal. So much so that many people are writing about MLB’s two best teams heading into Thursday night’s series decider.
NLDS Game 5 links
- Kate Preusser previews Game 5 for Baseball Prospectus, explaining, among other things, why the Dodgers are “much more the Platonic ideal of a modern-day bullpen.”
- Alden Gonzalez and Tim Keown at ESPN answer questions about the NLDS, with Gonzalez delivering this surprising tidbit: “It’s pretty incredible that we’re four games into this series and have yet to experience a single lead change.”
- In MLB.com’s roundtable between Alyson Footer, Maria Guardado, and Juan Toribio, among the topics debated is which team would be more disappointed in losing the NLDS.
- Gavin Lux has carried over his hot September into October, and will start Game 5, somewhere. J.P. Hoornstra at the Orange County Register analyzes Dave Roberts’ lineup choices involved in that decision.
- R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports breaks down in detail the pitch mix and tendencies of both Urías and Webb heading into Game 5.
- Webb’s changeup — thrown 38 times with 12 swinging strikes induced in Game 1 — is “stupid,” says Michael Ajeto at Baseball Prospectus, showing us how and why.
- Webb getting compared to Jesse Plemons has been going on for a few years, even from his friends. “He definitely hates that,” one friend told Andy McCullough at The Athletic. “It’s either no response or ‘Logan Webb has left the chat.’”
- Giants hitters, batting .184/.220/.304 in the first four games of the NLDS, are due, says Grant Brisbee at The Athletic.
- AJ Cassavell at MLB.com broke down five keys to Game 5 of the NLDS.
- The winner of Dodgers-Giants Game 5 will be World Series favorites, says Neil Payne at Five Thirty Eight.