Mets-Dodgers: 3 things to know for Game 5 of the NLDS

In a postseason series littered with compelling pitching performances, it's only fitting that Game 5 of the NLDS will pit two of the game's best starters against each other Thursday at Chavez Ravine.

Zack Greinke, an impending free agent who authored a 1.66 ERA during the regular season, will look to extend his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he takes the mound for the finale, five days after tossing seven strong innings en route to a 5-2 victory in Game 2. The New York Mets, meanwhile, will counter with an equally imposing right-hander in Jacob deGrom, the newly-minted All-Star who established a new franchise record with 13 strikeouts in the series opener, his postseason debut.

Hard as it is to believe, one of those guys won't leave Dodger Stadium with a win Thursday night. A best-of-seven series with the Chicago Cubs, though, is waiting for the pitcher who makes it out of Los Angeles with the victory.

Here are three things to know for Game 5 of the NLDS:

GRANDAL IS ELLIS; ELLIS IS GRANDAL

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly admitted Wednesday that catcher Yasmani Grandal has only a 50 percent chance of playing in Game 5 due to persistent discomfort in his left shoulder. Whether it's Grandal or backup A.J Ellis who gets the start, though, doesn't really matter to Greinke, who thrived regardless of who was behind the plate this season.

2015 regular season stats

"Both have different strengths," Greinke said. "A.J. is probably the best pitch-caller and working with pitchers on what's working and stuff. Yas works really well with me, and his physical skills and baseball skills are as good as anyone in the game in framing, blocking and throwing. Both have strengths."

The two catchers also enjoyed comparable success at the plate during the regular season, with Grandal posting a .756 OPS over 115 games and Ellis managing a .758 mark in 63 contests. As for the past week? Grandal is 1-for-8 with a pair of RBIs, while Ellis, behind the plate for both of Clayton Kershaw's starts, is 2-for-7.

THOR, HARVEY AVAILABLE IN PEN

During the regular season, opponents were often delighted when Terry Collins went to his bullpen. Two out of every five nights, after all, the manager's trot to the mound meant they no longer had to face Noah Syndergaard or Matt Harvey. That isn't the case in Game 5.

Syndergaard, who allowed three runs while striking out nine over 6 1/3 innings en route to a 5-2 loss in Game 2, will be available in relief for the series finale. Though the Mets are still trying to ease the workload on Harvey's surgically repaired elbow, Collins said the 26-year-old would be out there for Game 5, too. Both pitchers, by the way, finished among the top 20 in the National League in wins above replacement, effectively giving the Mets two more late-inning options in a bullpen that already featured four relievers with above-average strikeout numbers this season.

METS NEED WRIGHT, DUDA TO STEP UP

Through the first four games of the series, most of the Dodgers' run production was generated by the usual suspects. Justin Turner has four doubles and a 1.233 OPS. Howie Kendrick is hitting well above .300. Ditto for Adrian Gonzalez.

Though the Mets have also received some offense from their marquee players like Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, and Daniel Murphy, two of the club's most prominent players - David Wright and Lucas Duda - have been noticeably quiet at the plate.

With runs already likely to be in short supply - Greinke has allowed more than two runs in a start just once since Aug. 27 - it doesn't bode well, either, that neither has enjoyed much success against the Dodgers' right-hander throughout their respective careers: Wright owns a .583 OPS against Greinke while Duda went 3-for-15 with five strikeouts against him, though one of those hits did go over the fence.