What this week's Dodgers-Mets matchup can teach us about a potential October showdown

For the next three days, the owners of the National League's two best records will share the field when the New York Mets host the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games at Citi Field.

With just over a month left in the regular season before the MLB playoffs begin, it is the perfect time to start looking ahead at what a showdown between two 2022 heavyweights could mean come October, so we asked ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, Joon Lee and David Schoenfield to weigh in on what this week's series can tell us about a potential National League Championship Series clash.

Doolittle: The «in a playoff series» qualifier is the key with this question. In terms of the regular-season gap, it's not that reflective of the real difference because it should actually be at least twice that. In terms of a 162-game win pace based on run differential, the Dodgers are at 116.6, with the Mets way back at 98.1. While the Dodgers should be the favorite in every playoff series they play, the gap closes considerably when the usage of players becomes more concentrated and makes depth less of a factor. In that vein, the Mets' ability to line up Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer in a playoff series is a huge equalizer, especially if the Dodgers' rotation injury woes stretch into October. The Dodgers are a strong favorite, but not at the level suggested by the run differentials.

Lee: I don't put a lot of stock into regular-season records. Wild-card teams regularly storm through the playoffs because they got hot at the right time. Winning the regular season doesn't mean anything if you get cold at the wrong time of year. The Dodgers have the most talented roster in baseball, but the Mets are right up there — especially when deGrom and