Dodgers vs. New York Mets: The lineups

Projected lineups for the Dodgers and New York Mets:

LINEUPS

New York Mets

Position| AVG. | HR | RBI | COMMENT

RF | Curtis Granderson | .259 | 26 | 70 | Team’s most consistent offensive performer.

3B | David Wright | .289 | 5 | 17 | Franchise icon makes long-awaited return to postseason.

CF | Yoenis Cespedes | .291 | 35 | 105 | To Mets what Manny Ramirez was to Dodgers in ’08.

1B | Lucas Duda | .244 | 27 | 73 | Established himself as a power threat over last two years.

2B | Daniel Murphy | .281 | 17 | 44 | Power numbers have risen as result of stronger lineup.

C | Travis d’Arnaud | .268 | 12 | 41 | Injury-prone catcher could be an elite player if healthy.

LF | Michael Cuddyer | .259 | 10 | 41 | Turned down higher salary with Rockies to sign with Mets.

SS | Ruben Tejada | .261 | 3 | 28 | Team’s best defensive shortstop batted .340 in September.

P | Jacob deGrom | .186 | 0 | 4 | Light-hitting college shortstop is now a solid-hitting pitcher.

Dodgers

LF | Carl Crawford | .265 | 4 | 16 | Can still take over a game when locked in.

2B | Howie Kendrick | .295 | 9 | 54 | Steady presence in the middle of the infield.

1B | Adrian Gonzalez | .275 | 28 | 90 | The team’s undisputed No. 1 run producer.

3B | Justin Turner | .294 | 16 | 60 | Former Mets utility man now a middle-of-order hitter.

SS | Corey Seager | .337 | 4 | 17 | Replaced veteran Jimmy Rollins as first-choice shortstop.

RF | Andre Ethier | .294 | 14 | 53 | Dodgers should be glad they couldn’t trade him last off-season.

C | Yasmani Grandal | .234 | 16 | 47 | Offensive production dropped in wake of shoulder bruise.

CF | Enrique Hernandez | .307 | 7 | 22 | Underrated hitter can play almost every position

P | Clayton Kershaw | .127 | 0 | 2 | His nine hits include two doubles.

Although the Mets have the most dynamic player in this series in Cespedes, they lack the left-right balance of the Dodgers. This could be a key, as three of the Dodgers’ four starting pitchers are left-handed.

STARTING PITCHERS

New York Mets

Throws | W-L | ERA | COMMENT

RH | Jacob deGrom | 14-8 | 2.54 | Game 1 starter was rookie of the year in ’14 and All-Star in ’15.

RH | Noah Syndergaard | 9-7 | 3.24 | Averaged more than 97 mph with fastball in regular season.

RH | Matt Harvey | 13-8 | 2.71 | Workload restrictions could limit how much he pitches this month.

LH | Steven Matz | 4-0 | 2.27 | Mets hopeful rookie left-hander has fully recovered from back injury.

Dodgers

LH | Clayton Kershaw | 16-7 | 2.13 | In search of his long-awaited postseason breakthrough.

RH | Zack Greinke | 19-3 | 1.66 | A strong contender for the NL Cy Young Award.

RH | Brett Anderson | 10-9 | 3.69 | Led the major leagues with a ground-ball rate of 66.3%.

LH | Alex Wood | 12-12 | 3.84 | Left-hander was 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have the two best pitchers in this series, if not the entire National League, in Kershaw and Greinke. What’s scary for the Mets is that they could face either of them in as many of four games in this best-of-five series, as Kershaw will start Game 1, which would allow him to return to pitch Game 4 on three days’ rest. The Mets have the deeper rotation and they might have to tap into that depth, as rookie Matz miss the series because of back problems, though he threw 80 pitches in a simulated game Thursday and is expected to start in Game 4.

BULLPEN

New York Mets

Throws | | W-L-S | ERA | COMMENT

LH | Jeurys Familia | 2-2-43 | 1.85 | Tied franchise’s single-season saves record.

RH | Tyler Clippard | 5-4-19 | 2.92 | Setup man’s velocity has declined in recent weeks.

RH | Addison Reed | 3-3-4 | 3.38 | Clippard’s recent problems could move Reed into eighth inning.

RH | Hansel Robles | 4-3-0 | 3.67 | Has plus stuff but is inconsistent.

RH | Erik Goeddel | 1-1-0 | 2.43 | UCLA product will get a chance to pitch at Dodger Stadium.

LH | Jon Niese | 9-10-0 | 4.13 | Could go to bullpen because of absence of left-hander reliever.

RH | Bartolo Colon | 14-13-0 | 4.16 | Would step into rotation if Matz remains sidelined.

Dodgers

RH | Kenley Jansen | 2-1-36 | 2.41 | One of the most dominant closers in baseball.

RH | Chris Hatcher | 3-5-4 | 3.69 | Late season turnaround has made him the eighth-inning man.

LH | Luis Avilan | 2-5-0 | 4.05 | Top late-inning option against left-handers

LH | J.P. Howell | 6-1-1 | 1.43 | Offers Offers a change of pace in bullpen full of hard-throwers.

RH | Juan Nicasio | 1-3-1 | 3.86 | Converted starter has been one of team’s most reliable relievers.

RH | Pedro Baez | 4-2-0 | 3.35 | Has the stuff of a closer, now looking for consistency of one.

RH | Joel Peralta | 3-1-3 | 4.34 | A longtime favorite of Andrew Friedman from their days in Tampa.

These bullpens are filled with land mines. Outside of the two closers, Jansen and Familia, no one can be entirely trusted. The Dodgers, at least, are trending in a positive direction, with Hatcher and Avilan emerging in recent weeks as viable eighth-inning options. The Mets, on the other hand, have to be alarmed about setup man Tyler Clippard’s sudden loss of form.

RESERVES

New York Mets

Position | AVG. | HR | RBI | COMMENT

LF | Michael Conforto | .270 | 9 | 26 | Rookie was only two for 13 against left-handers.

OF | Juan Lagares | .259 | 6 | 41 | Won a Gold Glove last season.

SS | Wilmer Flores | .263 | 16 | 59 | Slowed in recent weeks by back problems.

IF | Kelly Johnson | .265 | 14 | 47 | If Cespedes is Mets’ Manny, Johnson might be Casey Blake.

C | Kevin Plawecki | .219 | 3 | 21 | Was a first-round draft pick only three years ago.

OF | Kirk Niewenhuis | .208 | 4 | 13 | Could make bench if Juan Uribe can’t return from injury.

Dodgers

C | A.J. Ellis | .238 | 7 | 21 | Is likely Game 1 starter handling his buddy, Kershaw.

IF | Chase Utley | .212 | 8 | 39 | Former World Series champion can play multiple positions.

SS | Jimmy Rollins | .224 | 13 | 41 | Has remained a total pro in wake of move to bench.

RF | Yasiel Puig | .255 | 11 | 38 | Five-tool enigma could be an X-factor.

LF | Justin Ruggiano | .291 | 4 | 12 | Has crushed left-handed pitching.

CF | Joc Pederson | .210 | 26 | 54 | Stalled offensively but still a first-class defender.

Conforto, the Mets’ left-handed-hitting rookie, is a talent. Flores offers some power from the right side and Johnson was a nice trade-deadline addition. The Dodgers’ main threat off the bench figures to be Ruggiano, a late-August acquisition from the Seattle Mariners. Playing primarily against left-handers, Ruggiano drove in 12 runs in only 20 games with the Dodgers. Rollins and Utley, two former Philadelphia Phillies, have hit more home runs against the Mets than any other team. As a whole, the Dodgers’ bench is more experienced and better defensively.

PREDICTION: The Dodgers have the best 1-2 starting pitching combination in baseball. With Kershaw and Greinke starting the first two games at home, the Dodgers are in position to take an early series lead. Look for the versatility of the Dodgers lineup to also be a factor. DODGERS IN THREE.